Days of War
by Link-the-hylian
Summary: The sequel to A Gladiator's life, read that first. Umm... too much happens to put here, really. Just read if you liked the first one.
1. Ambush

DISCLIAMER: I DON'T OWN ZELDA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! NINTENDO DOES!

**AN: OK, first chapter of the sequel to A gladiator's life, my only story ever to get more than 15 reviews! Read that first, although you should no that. As before, if you have a question in your review or if I just want to thank you for a glowing review, I will do so here. It'll be nice to get a fresh start, the one before this was getting stale. **

_Link looked down over Blood Fields in awe. His blood seemed to have frozen, and no matter what he tried he couldn't move from the ledge he was standing on. Down below, Hylians were rushing forward and being slaughtered by the small, organized legions of Jarmanians. There was a certain desperation in the way the Hylians through themselves to their deaths. Suddenly a dark shadow rose out of Jarmania, and blotted out the sunlight. The darkness moved over the field was a fog, and anyone it touched, Hylian or Jarmanian, was __vaporized. It flowed towards Link, but kept its distance, swirling around. Two tendrils shot towards Hyrule…_

"Link! Wake up, Link!" A voice shouted.

Link sat straight up, and almost screamed. Agraros stood over him.

"They'll be here soon, we should prepare. Are you alright?" Agraros asked.

"Fine. Pack up, move everyone up the sides and into the trees." Link said, still breathing hard.

Agraros nodded, and started to get everyone moving. Link thought about the dream. He had been having it for a week now. It first came two days before he met the full group of Royal Knights. He had been leading them for four or five days now, not trying anything big, just testing out how everyone fought. It didn't help that every time he slept, the dream started. He stood up. He had to help out, a caravan of important supplied was coming down this road, and it would be well guarded. The exact details of the shipment were vague, but Ocral, their spy in Jarmania, had overheard a conversation about an extremely important shipment coming through here. It was going to be well guarded, so this was likely their most ambitious project yet.

They had been lucky to find a spot like this on the road. The road entered the forest surrounding Jarmania a while up, but at this section the ground rose up sharply on either side. Hiding in the trees was easy, and it gave Link and the knights the higher ground.

Suddenly a horse came barreling down the road. Ocral was on it, and he was yelling, "They're coming! We have about twenty minutes!"

Link nodded. He liked Ocral, who was one of the few knights that had come to trust him so far. Ocral was an excellent spy; he was small, quick, and preferred knives and short swords. He was also very convincing and a good liar, all around a good spy. He was the oldest of the group, at forty-four. Link found it weird being his leader; at the age of nineteen he was the youngest of them all.

Everyone climbed the hills on both sides, evenly split. They crouched behind various trees. On the other side, Link saw Kasha draw her bow. Three others were proficient with ranged weapons, one with knives, one with javelins, and one with some sort of advanced weapon, called a "crossbow." One thing about the knights, they were a varied bunch.

There was the faint sound of horses trotting. Link slowly unsheathed his weapon. Everyone tensed up, peering from behind the trees. A couple minutes later, a caravan was visible. Link's vision had always been good, but as far as he could make out there was only one carriage. That didn't make sense; Link had assumed it was a large shipment of weapons or supplies. But then, valuable things could be very small… but Ocral had said it was for the war.

Link raised his hand. All the ranged fighters readied their weapons. There were several guards, most mounted. Some ran along beside, panting. About thirty, quite a large caravan for something so small… it must be valuable after all.

The first bunch of guards was beneath them. Link dropped his hand suddenly, and four guards were killed. They stopped as one, and looked up, confused.

"HYYAAHH!!!" Link shouted out, coming out from behind the tree, and jumping into the group. Everyone followed suit, leaping into the fray. Link parried two attacks, and then slashed one guard down, spinning to another and stabbing him. One came up from behind, but Kasha took him out with a shot to the neck. Link waved his thanks, and she nodded, shooting another. The driver of the carriage threw a bomb ahead, clearing out the area in front of him, and started the horses going. He came barreling down, and everyone jumped out of the way. Link dove out of the way, then turned and used his hookshot on the back of the carriage. It barely latched on, and he was wrenched off his feet. He was dragged along the dirt road, away from the fight. He retracted the hookshot, wincing at all the rocks scraping his chest and stomach. The pulled himself up, clutching the back of the carriage. He used the hookshot to bring himself to the top, and climbed on. The roof was fragile wood, and he stomped his foot right through. There was a cry of surprise from within, from the guard inside. Link dropped down, knocking him out with his shield. The carriage was virtually empty, but there was one small chest in the middle, as big as two fists. Link scooped it up, and opened the back door of the carriage. He clutched the container to his chest, and jumped out, rolling as he hit the ground.

The fall knocked the wind out of him. He rolled over, still holding the little chest, and rolled right into a ditch at the side. The carriage barreled away towards Jarmania, the driver blissfully unaware of the little robbery. Link gasped for breath, avoiding moving. He heard another horse, and looked up to see Ocral riding towards him.

"For Din's sake, you alright? Damn, that carriage was moving fast. It only got a little head start, but I couldn't keep up. Sorry." Ocral said.

"No problem." Link gasped. He staggered to his feet, getting his breath back.

They started walking back together, Ocral on the horse. He offered it to Link, who declined. "How'd the fight go?" Link asked.

"I don't know bud; I left as soon as I saw you being dragged away. For all I know, it's still on." Ocral replied.

The fight was in fact over when they arrived two minutes later. The knights had won, which was no surprise. Link had just started to relax when Kasha ran up to him. She looked upset.

"Link, someone's… someone was found dead!" She said in a wavering voice.

Normally this was nothing, but a group like this was expected to be able to easily beat an enemy force twice as large as them with no casualties. "What? Where?" Link barked.

She led him to the outskirts of the battle. A knight Link had never really known too well, Kirk, was lying to the side with a large wound in his chest. He was clearly dead. The group had gathered around the body, behind Link. He heard whispering and muttering, things like "some leader," abandoned his duty," and "doesn't care."

He ignored all this. He wrapped up the body in a blanket, and placed it over one of the three horses they had with them.

"We're pulling back to Hyrule. Someone is dead; he should be buried in his homeland." Link said.

No one grumbled, but they didn't seem too happy with the idea of going back to Hyrule. Agraros was watching him with concern, but Link avoided his gaze. They set off through the forest, towards the plains. Agraros approached Link.

"You know it wasn't your fault, right?" Agraros muttered.

Link nodded, and he wasn't lying. He didn't believe it was his fault, and as harsh as it was, dying in battle was always bad luck, a mistake, or lack of skill. What concerned him more was how quick everyone was to blame him. He didn't know how to impress them; no matter what he did they didn't like him. Without trust and respect, there would be more deaths. They were down to thirteen knights now, plus him. Kirk, though not particularly well liked, was a powerhouse with a war hammer and would be missed.

Meanwhile, at Hyrule castle…

"No, don't bother sending more spies. One was sent by the Royal knights, and he barely made it in. That's an elite warrior, too. He can give us reports, besides; Jarmania will be more alert after the incident with Link." Elisa said.

She was sitting at a table with the other members of the war council. There were four of them, and although she was in training, her opinion was still valued. After all, no one knew Jarmania like her.

The boss, Samuel Thompson, nodded. "I'm sure you are right, Elisa. We will get new information the next time Ocral is sent. No, we should focus on holding the plains."

Jerry Swanson, who's only real job here seemed to be professional suck-up, chimed in, "You're absolutely right, sir. The plains are vital"

Cecilia Rose nodded dully, her hand holding up her head. Elisa liked her, she was very sarcastic, cynical, and pessimistic, but very clever, and was excellent for working out the details of the plans pitched by others.

"_Others," of course, refers to me and Samuel. Jerry just agrees _Elisa thought, smiling.

"Well, don't bother with spear walls, the Jarmanians rarely use mounted units when up against lots of archers." Elisa piped up.

"So the archers are the best option?" Samuel asked.

"Sort of. But soon you'll see soldiers 'turtling' in. Basically, groups will cluster together, with shields to the front, sides and top. Arrows will be useless. You'll have to charge, while the archers hang back in defense. If you have any catapults that can be assembled there, they can bowl over troops marching slowly in that formation, break them up." Elisa said.

"Sounds good, if they abandon the formation the archers can pick them off." Cecilia said.

Elisa nodded. Samuel stood up and said, "Alright, this meeting is over. Jerry, inform the king that we are sending catapults, and men trained to use them. Cecilia, make sure the proper people and equipment is sent tomorrow. You may go. Oh, not you Elisa, stay a moment please."

Cecilia and Jerry stood, saluted, and left the conference room, which was so dark it felt like a prison. Elisa stood, but waited. When they were gone, Samuel walked towards Elisa.

"As you know, in a few weeks I am going to the plains as field commander. One of you three is going to be replacing me." He said.

Elisa nodded slowly. Samuel continued, "I'm sure you've guessed by now, but I'm recommending you. In the four days you've been here, you've learned so much. You're smart, as well as knowledgeable about Jarmania. If the position was offered, would you take it?"

Elisa nodded again. "Excellent. Of course, no guarantees. It is the king's choice. But I'm sure he'll agree. I just wanted to let you know. You may leave now."

"Thank you, sir." Elisa said with a salute, leaving the room. She didn't think the promotion would make much difference; they were essentially equal. Otherwise, she probably would have preferred to keep her current position. She entered her room, and looked out the window. Was Link still OK? She hadn't seen him since he left the castle two weeks ago. One week ago he been back to meet the knights, but she hadn't seen them. They had ridden off to blood fields, and weren't expected back for a while.

She sighed. What did it matter? She barely knew him. Nonetheless, she didn't sleep easily that night.

**AN: What do you think? Please review!**


	2. A mistake

**AN: nothing to say.**

**Review Responses:**

**ZombieDragon: Thanks for the tip; I put the dream in italics.**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Testudo, that's the word I was looking for. I think I read about it somewhere, part of the reason I put it in is so I could have SOMETHING historically accurate. Anyway, I'll probably use the morning star; I'm always trying to get new ideas for weapons as I mention different knights. Sorry, about the horse thing, I should have realized that, I mean, I play Age of Empires and that's the point of cavalry in AOE 2. I just don't think realistically when I'm writing, please forgive stupid mistakes like that.**

The knights stood in a circle over the coffin containing Kirk's body. It was in its open grave. There were no teary faces, but the mood was solemn and sad. Even if Kirk wasn't the most likeable, he was the first royal knight to die in battle in over thirty years. It was a bizarre death; he was clearly killed from the front, not the back. The wound proved it. But then, the knights were only human, so there was bound to be a death now that they were active.

Very few were invited to the funeral; the knights were all there of course, as was the king. A Hylian priest presided over the funeral. They Hylians believed each goddess kept an afterlife, and that the dead were chosen for whichever one was most suited to them. Those of evil, however, wandered the sacred realm forever. The priest said what was required of him, and then two workers began to fill the grave. Everyone bowed their heads until the grave was filled. They were in a large graveyard reserved for the royal knights, behind the temple of time. As was tradition, Link, the current leader, picked up the man's weapon, and raised it above his head. He drove the war hammer down into the earth as hard as he could, handle first. Every knight in turn pushed down on it once, so by the end it was driven in deep. They filed out of the graveyard, past the statues of eyes, always watching.

Afterwards, Link walked off by himself. He stopped at the locksmith's shop in the market. He pulled the small chest out of his pocket, and opened the door. It was a small place, but the man who ran it was very well known for his skill with making and hopefully breaking locks. Link would have blasted or burned it open, but whatever was inside may be fragile. The lock had to be removed.

The man behind the counter was facing away from Link, bent over something. Link strode over to the counter, and placed the box down. The man turned around at the sound, and his face broke into a grin.

"Hello there, sonny! Can I help ya'?" he said jovially, in a rough but friendly voice. He was a big man, with a potbelly. He wore simple overalls with a white shirt, and had a brown beard and moustache. He was almost bald.

Link gestured at the box. "Can you open it?" He said.

"I can try. Name's Curtis, how 'bout you?" he said.

Link told him.

"Link? Odd name, but I kinda like it. No let me take a look, I ain't been that busy this fine afternoon."

Curtis pored over the lock, and held it up to the light, peering into the keyhole.

"Can you do it?" Link asked.

"Well, this is a darn good lock, you can be assured. Ain't never seen nuthin like it. But I reckon I can get it, but it will take a little time. Want me to get started? It'll probably run you about forty rupees, that alright?" He answered.

Link nodded. He had found plenty adventuring.

"Well, you can pull up a seat, should be ready in a half hour. Oh, and do you need the lock to work after?"

Link shook his head, and sat on one of the chairs on either side of the shop. Curtis had set the chest down, and was picking at it with a small needle. He put that away soon, and tried several keys on it. None of them were close enough. Eventually, he got an idea. He took a magnifying glass, and placed the lock near a window. He aimed the glass inside, and kept it still. It took well over half an hour, but the inside of the lock got very hot. He went back to the metal needle, and poked around inside, this time breaking and twisting everything. Before long, he was able to wrench the lid open a bit, but he kept it closed out of respect for Link's privacy.

"There we are! Got it! Little bugger was tricky, but I memorized the inside, make a good lock for important doors in the castle! Gotta thank you boy, that alone was almost worth it. Twenty rupees will do me fine." He said.

Link paid him, and thanked him. Curtis said, "I'm mighty curious, mind showin' me what you got in there?"

Link thought a moment, and shrugged. He set in down, and opened it again. The inside was padded, and on the very centre, about as big as Link's thumb, was some sort of gem. It seemed almost luminous, and the colour was ever changing, depending on how you looked at it. Was that it? It sure looked valuable, but still…

"Wow, bet that's worth a few rupees. Never seen nothing like that before in my life. You didn't steal it, didja'?" he said.

Link didn't answer. He picked it up, clenching it in his left hand. He felt an odd tingling on his left hand, under the gauntlet. He had the same feeling in his head, deep in his skull, an itch that couldn't be scratched. He put it back in the box, and closed the lid.

"Thanks." Link said, striding out of the shop. The strange tingle… there must be some sort of magic inside it, and if anyone could recognize it, it was Zelda. He set off towards the castle. The guards let him through reluctantly, and he went to the king.

"Ah, you got the box open! Good, good… what was it? Need any help?" The king asked, standing up.

"Actually, I need Zelda's help. May I see her?" Link asked.

The king nodded. "She's in the courtyard; I'll give you a note so the guards will let you through. Can I see what was inside?"

Link opened it. He felt the faint tingle, but fainter now that he wasn't holding it. He tilted it so that the king could see. The king' eyes widened, but only in mild curiosity. Gems, though rare, weren't that unique, after all. He signed a parchment, and gave it to Link, who headed off to find Zelda.

He had no trouble with the guards, and was allowed into the courtyard, where Link had met Zelda as a ten year old, nine years ago… She was there again, but not spying through a window. She was sitting in the grass against a wall, and reading a book. The garden was very surreal, with white stone very dissimilar to the Jarmanian stone. The stone here felt more organic, and along with the flowers, ponds, and grass, made this are of the castle very natural. Link walked in, and Zelda looked up, breaking into a smile.

"Hello Link. Father told me you were back, it is nice to see you!" She said, getting up. Link smiled, and walked towards her. She hugged him, and then took the chest he had offered her.

"I stole this from Jarmanians. I felt odd when I picked it, it's not normal. I think it may have some sort of magical property, can you tell?" Link asked.

Zelda opened the chest. She picked up the jewel, and held it up for a minute. Suddenly she cried out and dropped the gem and the container, clutching her head and falling to the floor.

Link knelt down quickly. "Are you alright!?" he almost shouted.

She nodded, rising to her knees. "It's… it's powerful… It seems to have no… real purpose… but… I felt a powerful pulse… probably what you felt… but you… aren't as… in tune with it." She said, panting.

"So, wait… it has strength, but can't be used?" Link asked, confused.

Zelda, who was standing now, said "Yes. It doesn't do anything, at least nothing I can recognize, but it calls out to anyone sensitive to magic…"

Now that was odd. Link knew the Jarmanians didn't use magic, so why would they need this? They wouldn't even know it was unique because they couldn't sense magic.

"How could this be useful?" Link questioned aloud.

"I'm not sure yet… can you put it back? I'll keep it for now." Zelda said.

Link nodded, and picked it up, putting it back in the container and closing it tight. He handed it over to Zelda, who took it tentatively. Link waved and turned to leave.

Zelda gasped. "Link, you still have the Master Sword!" She shouted.

Link looked back over his shoulder. He had forgotten, and so had everyone else.

"What about that thing you did? How long does it hold?" Link asked.

"Depends, but I'm a beginner at protective magic like that, it will have begun to dissolve by now!" Zelda replied.

Without a word they took off out of the castle. Link was silently counting how long it had been. He set off, was a gladiator for over a week… must have been at least a month, with traveling time and the week with the knights.

They burst out of the castle, running through the market. They reached the temple of time, still running. The door of time was open, just as they had left it. But inside the main chamber, it was like a light show. Gold sparks were spewing out from the pedestal, and a purple mist was rising. Flashes of red light were illuminating the room.

Link ran forward, sword out. He cleaved aside the purple mist, which had begun to ensnare him. He raised the sword above his head, twirled it so that it was upside-down, and grasped it with his other hand. He drove it down into its pedestal with all his strength. He felt resistance, some unseen force pushing it back up. An almost inhuman cry of rage emanated from everywhere it seemed. Link knew that voice all to well. With a strained cry, Link rammed the sword down as far as it would go. The light stopped, and the cry was cut off. There was a final shower of sparks, and then all was quiet. The purple mist hung around, slowly flowing out of the temple. Link stood panting. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief.

"How could we forget!!??" Zelda almost yelled. She was visibly shaken.

Link strode over to her, and put his hand on her arm. He looked straight into her eyes, and she slowly calmed down. She let out a shaky laugh. They walked back to the castle, Link feeling very vulnerable without a sword.

"Zelda, what I really need is a good sword. I can't just use the Master Sword whenever we feel I need it; look what almost happened. Think I could get one?" Link asked.

Zelda looked at him, and said, "Of course we can find something. I shall speak to my father, I'm sure he would be happy to forge the best sword in the land for you."

Link thanked her, and they continued on. When they reached the castle, at about four o'clock, Link asked Zelda where Elisa was.

"Top floor, North hallway, her room has her name on it. She may be in a meeting in the war room; you should wait outside if that's so." Zelda replied, not making eye contact with him.

Link thanked her, and headed for the stairs. He climbed up to the top floor, and eventually found Elisa's room. He knocked, and there was no reply. He called her name, still nothing. So he headed to the war room, which was just a round room in one of the towers, which had recently been turned into a meeting room for those dealing with the Jarmanians. He almost knocked, but stopped himself. If they were there, he shouldn't interrupt them. But what if they weren't in there?

Suddenly the door opened, and Elisa, who was talking over her shoulder, ran into him. She staggered back, and looked at him. She grinned.

"Hi Link! I didn't know you were coming back so soon." Elisa said.

Link shrugged and smiled. She gave him a small hug, and then stepped back.

"This is Link, everyone." She said, walking back in and motioning for Link to follow.

"Ah, Link, leader of the Royal Knights! I've heard so much about you, come in," The man at the head of the table began, "I'm Samuel Thompson, This is Jerry Swanson, and this is Cecilia Rose."

Link stepped in, waving.

"I've wanted to meet you. We sit here and talk all big, but it's down to you and every other soldier to actually win the battle. From what I hear you are a very competent leader." Samuel said.

Link had no idea where he had heard that, since he hadn't really helped accomplish anything. He thanked him nonetheless.

Link was allowed to sit in on this meeting, which had been ending before he had showed up. Now he gave reports, explained the Jarmanians recent movements, and told them what Ocral had discovered. When the meeting ended, Elisa told him everything that had happened to her, and he did the same. When Link explained abut the death of Kirk, Elisa looked at him sadly.

"Were you blamed?" She asked.

Link thought about lying, but found himself nodding.

"Well, it wasn't your fault; don't let them convince you it is. Just because you lead them doesn't mean you can save everyone." She said fiercely.

"I'm more worried about how much they trust me… as soon as I can, I'm traveling solo again." Link replied.

"Link, they'll come to trust you. Just keep on going. You've done so much…" She said.

By this time, they had reached her room. Link said, good night, and she went inside. Link left, and spent the rest of the day rounding everyone up. They ate a meal, and set off again. They made Gerudo Valley, and spent the night there. That night, Link had the dream again.

**AN: Ok, not an interesting chapter. Next time I plan to get some back to the basics action in there. Please review anyway.**


	3. Battle for Blood Fields

**AN: Sorry this took so long, I haven't had that much inspiration to write… it was starting to feel like a chore, and I do my worst writing when I'm bored… reviews could help… hint hint.**

Link and the knights arrived at Blood Fields just as all hell broke loose. A large army of Jarmanians, several legions of well disciplined soldiers, emerged from the forest. The Hylians in the field were outnumbered three to one. Link stood at the mountain pass, staring out at many Jarmanian flags. The Hylian army was assembling in the middle of the field. They adopted the traditional Hylian formation, with spearmen lined up in front, cavalry behind them ready to charge, and the archers all in the back with bows ready, aimed in the air. A Gerudo horde was also present; a separate, less organized army beside the Hylians. Although the Gerudos fought for Hyrule, they were more like allies than an actual part of the country.

Link and the knights began jogging towards the Hylian army. They saw from afar the two generals meet in the middle, exchanging friendly words before the bloodbath, no doubt. When the general came back, he noticed Link and the knights.

"Ah, the royal knights. You must be that new leader everyone keeps talking about. Glad to have you, but frankly I don't think it will make much difference. I'm Edward by the way." The general said.

Link nodded, saying, "Link. Why aren't there any mages? I told the king we need to use magic."

Edward sighed. "He's very cautious about throwing our mages into the Blood Fields. He'll have to eventually, but he still thinks we can do this ourselves. Anyway, I think you and your men should fend off some of the charge, along with the spearmen. The ranged fighters should hang back a bit, no point having them up front. I know I can't order you around, just a suggestion."

Link nodded, and said, "I know very little about strategies in war. For this battle, we are yours to command." He then went off to the front, followed by his knights.

The four ranged fighters stood a few paces behind the wall of spearmen. Link and the rest stood among them. Clyde, who wielded a morning star, recommended everyone stand clear. Needless to say, they took his advice.

Link looked at the Jarmanian army. It was mostly infantry, with shirt swords and big shields. He also noticed there was cavalry in the back, despite Elisa's assurance there wouldn't be much. Suddenly a shout rang out from the opposing general. The infantry began forming groups, with the shields spread to all sides, and the top. These "boxes" of men began walking forward very slowly. Edward shouted for the archers, and arrows rained down. They stuck in the shields, and the odd man was killed through a crack, but for the most part they were unharmed.

The javelin-thrower in Link's group, brought his arm back, and flung a javelin as hard as he could into the front of a group. It hit a shield, but with enough force to knock the man carrying it back. He fell into someone else, and the entire group was brought down. The archers fired again, and managed to take out almost everyone there. The other groups learned however, and paid attention, focusing on standing steady and holding their shields tightly.

As they approached the spearmen, they sped up. As soon as the first bunch was ten meters away, they broke formation and clashed with the spearmen. Several were impaled, but several more broke through. Link bent his knees, shield forward and sword ready. A Jarmanian came at him, sword raised, and Link parried it and slashed him. The Gerudos charged at the enemy from the side, flanking them. Link stabbed another, and then used a jump attack.

As the spearmen were worn down, or forced to abandon their spears and draw swords, the Jarmanian cavalry charged forward. The gerudos in the middle of the field were run down, and scattered. The thundering of hooves was heard, and the Jarmanian infantry retreated back a bit so the cavalry could do its job. The Hylian infantry. Weakly raised their shields. Link dove out of the way of one horse, and then jumped on another behind the rider. He hit the rider from behind with the hilt of his sword, and threw him off. The horse bucked up, but Link seized it, and turned it around. It reared up again, and Link dashed forward along with the Hylian cavalry that was also charging. The infantry had broken ranks on both sides, and chaos had broken out. Link charged into another wave of Jarmanian cavalry, sword slashing on both sides. He knocked one man right off his horse, and beheaded another. He ducked a swing, and tried to counter but missed.

Link rode to the edge of the battle, and looked back. They were putting up a good fight, but they were definitely losing. He abandoned the horse, now worried he would run one of the Hylians down in the chaos. He charged in, engaging another Jarmanian. He blocked two slashes, then ducked and stabbed up into the man's chest. A horse charged at him, and the man riding it swung his sword down at Link. Link swung his sword up to meet it, and it jarred his arm. There was an odd sounding clang, and the top half of his sword broke off.

"Son of a BITCH!" Link swore. He now held a practically useless sword, and a shield. All the swords in the Gerudo armoury, and he ended up picking one that was badly made.

He turned and threw the sword bit he was holding out of the battlefield. He put his shield away, and drew his biggoron sword. He didn't like the lack of defense, but it was strong. He swung viciously, killing someone, then spun and brought it down on another's skull.

AS several Jarmanians began to close in, some fighting Hylians, he lowered his sword, holding the blade, and charged power. A bright blue glow had appeared around it, and he tensed. The Jarmanians around him looked at him curiously, with some fear. The Hylians fighting around him had instinctively stepped away, but the Jarmanians were a little too slow. He let the charged spin attack go, unleashing a wave of orange energy. Several Jarmanians were practically vaporized.

Link realized how useful this could be, in more ways then one. One of his simplest of techniques had created fear in the Jarmanians. He ran into another group of Jarmanians, and used Din's fire. They were incinerated. Not pausing for a rest, he used Nayru's love and charged at more, allowing himself to be hit. He heard shouts of "Demon", "magic" and even "god." He almost laughed at that last one. Instead, he kept his serious, almost expressionless face.

As word of him spread across the battlegrounds, The Jarmanians began to flee from him, and fight sloppily. Link found Agraros, and shouted, "Spread the word, if any of you knights have any flashy magic, use it as much as possible!"

Agraros nodded, and one of his swords glowed orange, the colour of hot iron. It melted right through a Jarmanian's armour.

"Only three of us have magic, but I'll let them know!" He yelled as Link's Nayru's love deflected a stab.

The Hylians were heartened, and the Jarmanian morale was way down. Many of them fled the battlefield, and those who fought did so with panicked, desperate swings. The Hylians won in the end, but down to barely one hundred soldiers. The Gerudos had twenty left, and they had given two hundred to the battle. Edward Was dead, but some man who must have had the most seniority was barking orders. The wounded were being brought back to the main camp.

Link approached the man in charge. "You should pull out your men. This field is very close to Jarmania, and they will be able to attack again before reinforcements arrive." He said.

"And why the hell would I listen to some scruffy kid like you?" The man growled.

The royal knights, who had sought Link out, were gathering around him. Agraros said "This was the man who won us this battle. Show some respect."

"Oh, you're the one everyone's talking about. Just because you know some tricks doesn't mean you can tell me how to fight this war." He said, stalking away.

Link looked back at the knights. He also noticed they were looking at him with respect, even admiration.

"Good job out there," Alec, the javelin thrower said to Link. There were shouts of assent, and everyone shook his hand. Everyone except for Kyra, a red headed girl resembling a Gerudo who wielded a scimitar. She was looking at him with what looked like contempt. No one else seemed to notice.

Link smiled at them avoiding eye contact with Kyra. "Thanks." He said.

"What are we going to do now?" Agraros asked.

"Well… since the acting general is trying to keep control of the field with a handful of soldiers, we're out of here. We're going to take refuge in the trees, and let the field be taken. As soon as a counter attack is made, we strike, and help free the field again. Or at least regain part of it." Link said.

Everyone nodded, but Kyra shouted out, "That's your plan? Hide in the trees like cowards and wait for help?!"

Kasha spoke up in Link's defense saying, "Retreat is an acceptable strategy. Going to battle unnecessarily when you are hopelessly outnumbered is foolish, not brave. Link is right; we must wait until we have help."

Kyra glared at her, but she said no more. Link continued, "Ocral, I'm going to ask you to sneak into Jarmania again, see what you can learn."

Ocral smiled and nodded. "No problem."

"Alright. Let's go." Link said. They borroed some supplies from the Hylian outpost, and began jogging across the field. A couple of hours later they reached the trees. The slowed down and entered the forest.

When they were a good distance in, they set up a makeshift camp. Some food was roasted over a fire. Link approached Agraros. "You said three of you knew magic. Which two besides you?" He asked.

"Kasha, and Ordon, the one who has the glaive" he replied.

Link nodded, and continued to set up camp. Everyone had a blanket, and there was one tent to keep supplies out of rain. A couple of fires were going now, for light, warmth and food. Link sat on a log, and took out his Ocarina. He began to play Saria's song, nice and upbeat. The knights looked at him, listening. As soon as he finished, they clapped, and he looked at them, surprised and embarrassed.

"Sounds nice. I didn't know you could play the Ocarina." Kasha said. Link shrugged. They asked him to play something else, and he played the song of time, then Zelda's lullaby. When he was done, Ocral walked up to him.

"Can I set off tonight? In the darkness?" He asked. Link nodded, putting the Ocarina away.

Link helped him get some supplies, and he dressed in black. Link saw him off, waving.

He was never seen again.

**AN:** **a glaive is a staff with a blade at the end, thanks to LinkIsaacANDLloyd for that knowledge.**

**Anyway, sorry it was kind of short. Anyone who had played Twilight Princess will notice the little reference I put in. If you see it let me know in the review I just know you were going to leave anyway… **


	4. The gorons

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ZELDA, NINTENDO DOES.

**AN: Sorry it took so long, I have exams and stuff, lots of projects. I've never had to work so hard in my life. Plus I had to squeeze my 3 heart challenge on TP in there somewhere… not to mention have a social life. So yeah, really sorry… **

**Review Responses: LinkIsaacANDLloyd: You'll have to tell me what a zweihander, falx, or rhomphaia is, the only one that sounds vaguely familiar is the zweihander. I'd be happy to throw at least one of them in, as long as you explain what they are. Again, I'll try to keep my war stuff more accurate, just keep letting me know what I'm doing wrong. Thanks for the review!**

**Chuck: Would I kill all the knights? Probably not, but I can't say anything… **

The counter attack came the next morning. Another several legions of Jarmanians marched out of the forest. Not as many as before, but still plenty. Link looked at the Hylians from his position at the edge of the forest. He could see quite well through his little telescope, which was a rare, advanced item he had found in a cave once. The Gerudos had the sense to abandon the fields, but the acting general had assembled the Hylians for war. There was five times as many Jarmanians, the battle could not be won. Link watched from the trees. He watched as the Jarmanians sent their cavalry first, and the Hylians were run down. They scattered, and several fled for the mountains, disobeying the shouts of their leader. The cavalry ran down all who tried to flee, and the infantry made their move, charging at the remainder of the army. A battle broke, out, and within twenty minutes the Hylians were defeated. Barely five had even escaped.

The Jarmanians worked quickly, establishing several outposts. Link headed back to the small camp they had set up. He sat down, and tried to think about when the reinforcements would come. The five that escaped would alert the Gerudos, assuming they crossed the desert alright. The Gerudos would wait for some Hylians, and then send their armies in together. That would probably take… five days, tops. Hopefully the Jarmanians wouldn't get many palisade walls up.

Link headed back into the camp. Most of the knights were sparring. Kasha was shooting targets, along with Don, the crossbow wielder. Alec was tossing javelins into the forest, and then going after them. Link drew his sword, picked a tree, and started some exercises. He struck the tree several times, shouting out each time. Several knights looked at him in amusement. Link didn't really care. When he attacked, he yelled. It was the only way he could focus his strength. He was using a sword he had picked up at the camp. He spun and stabbed, plunging it into the tree.

"Care to have a little bout?" A knight named Kojak asked. He also wielded a sword and shield. A few people whispered. Link had never fought a Royal Knight, and it was up for debate whether he was as good as any of them.

Link nodded, pulling the sword out of the tree. He grabbed his shield, and turned to face Kojak. Kojak smirked, drawing his weapons.

"First to draw blood or knock down his opponent wins." Kojak said.

He jumped at Link, who parried and slashed back. They moved around the clearing, with the other knights watching. Link ducked a swing, and jabbed his sword out, but was side stepped. Kojak kicked out at him, and Link smacked Kojak's foot with his shield. He almost fell, but recovered with a back flip. Link danced in, feinting right and swinging from the left. Kojak blocked, and leapt to the side, stabbing in. Link parried with his shield, and Kojak back flipped out of danger. They traded swings for a few minutes. Suddenly Link jumped back, and rolled forward, underneath Kojak's swing. As soon as his roll was done, he stabbed out with both hands, kneeling down. His sword just pricked Kojak's stomach, drawing a tiny bead of blood.

The royal knights laughed and applauded, and Kojak joined in. He shook Link's hand.

Every other knight challenged Link that day. He beat every one of them, sometimes in bizarre ways. Clyde, for example, the man with the morning star, he had beaten be dodging the morning star, then grabbing the chain amazingly fast and reeling Clyde in. It ended up looking like a tug-o'-war.

They passed the next five days like that. They also listened to Link play the Ocarina, and they taught him some new songs, which he figured out by ear. On the sixth day, the Hylian and Gerudo armies had arrived. They gathered in front of the mountains, and began to march forward. Link watched it all through his telescope, and then raced back to the camp.

"They're here! Leave most of the stuff, grab your weapons and let's go." He said.

Weapons were picked up as everyone scrambled to collect their stuff. When everyone had assembled, Agraros scribbled a brief note to Ocral, telling him they left camp. Then they ran out of the forest, and towards the side of the battlefield. Link saw from a distance the armies clashing. It was very hard to tell who had the advantage from here. It took about an hour to reach the battle, but it still wasn't over. Link hadn't realized how big it was, there was still several thousand soldiers going at it when they arrived. Link drew his sword, and unleashed a battle cry, charging into the skirmish.

Link slashed an enemy on his left, and rolled ahead, standing and stabbing someone else. He spun and slashed another man across the chest. He blocked a slash from yet another Jarmanian, and kicked him down, finishing him off with a stab to the chest. Several Jarmanians closed in on him, and he used Din's Fire. They were incinerated on the spot. Link turned and was almost run over by an abandoned horse, but he dove out of the way. A Jarmanian tried to stab him, but a Gerudo ninja jumped at him from behind, and slashed his head off with both of her swords. Link nodded his thanks, spinning and killing another soldier.

The fight raged on, but within a half hour, just as the Hylians were gaining the upper hand, a horn was blown. Two more legions of Jarmanians were approaching the battleground.

"We're dead." Another Hylian soldier near Link said.

Link didn't say anything, but he had to agree. They Hylians had just gained the upper hand, but two more legions of Jarmanians would put an end to that. The enemies marched forward, shields to the front. Link ducked and killed another soldier. He turned around, hearing a faint rumbling sound. He was so surprised by what he saw that he was almost beheaded from behind. Almost. Barreling down the field at top speed was over a hundred rolling gorons. Link couldn't help but smile a bit. The Hylians raised their spears and swords in celebration, with shouts of joy. The new Jarmanian legions slowed their charge, eying the gorons with a mixture of dread and curiosity. The gorons split into two groups, each heading around the battlefield and towards the enemy reinforcements. The Jarmanians raised their shields, but it did them little good. The gorons split the shields and gored the soldiers. They plowed through, most unaffected by the spears. Weapons, shields and bones splintered before them.

You had to hand it to the Jarmanians, they were well disciplined this time. They didn't flee, although that may have been smart. They were able to stop a few of the gorons by grouping together, but in the end they were crushed. The gorons all uncurled, and began trudging up towards the main battlefield. Link saw Darunia at the front, who raised his fists, setting them on fire with his sage power. Some of the Jarmanians kept fighting, and some turned and formed a line in front of the gorons. The gorons ran at full speed, which was like a jog. The Darunia punched a hole right through one Jarmanians shield, and picked up the man, throwing him far away. The other gorons, not one of them armed, smashed their way into the army with brute force. Link saw one goron impaled by a spear through his slightly softer underside. Another goron curled into a ball and pounded the ground, knocking nearby Jarmanians off balance. Darunia punched and a small fireball launched from his fist, igniting a Jarmanian.

The Hylians were now winning their fight, as half of the Jarmanians had left to fight gorons. Link slashed a Jarmanian, ducked and slashed the legs of another, finishing him with a one handed stab after he fell. He smasked another with a shield, then flipped over him, slashing down as he went. As soon as he landed he did a spin attack, then back flipped to dodge a swing and used a jump attack to kill someone.

Needless to say, the Hyruleans won. Darunia approached Link after the battle, saying "Hello, brother. We are proud to fight with you."

Link smiled, bowing slightly. "We are grateful." He said. The gorons had been reluctant to join, and it was their choice. That was part of the treaty that had been signed almost two decades ago, that united all the races. So far, the only race yet to join was the Zoras. The Kokiri didn't count.

"I have sent a messenger back to death mountain. We can expect reinforcements in a little less than two weeks." Darunia said.

"I hope we last that long…" Link muttered, staring out at the regrouping forces. There was a fair amount, with the new gorons. They would have to rely on it taking time for new Jarmanian soldiers to arrive at the main city, and be ready to attack.

"No worries, brother. My gorons move fast, that's an outside guess. Besides, your knights ain't half bad. We've got this one." He replied casually.

Link introduced Darunia to the Royal knights. He wasn't sure if it was ok to mention him being the sage of fire, so he didn't.

Link called over a royal knight, named Drake. "Can you run back to our old camp and see if Ocral is back? If not, wait for him, there's plenty of food. If he doesn't come in two days, come find us at one of the outposts, with the Hylians, probably." Link said.

Drake nodded, gave a quick salute, and ran off. Drake was their fastest knight, and they usually used him as a scout. He wield just a katana, and only wore light cloth armour.

Link sighed. Ocral should have been back before he left…

Meanwhile, several days back…….

Ocral traveled through the forests without a hitch. He found the wall again, and looked up. There were two guards patrolling up there that could see him. He drew two knives, and crossed his arms, one in each hand. He whipped his arms out, releasing each knife. Two guards dropped silently. He pulled out the grappling hook he had taken, and flung it up. The hook sailed over the wall, and caught on the other side. He tugged on it quickly to test it, and then scaled the wall. He repacked the grappling hook, and hopped down the other side.

He put up a hood, hid his weapons, and strolled through the city. He knew to learn anything of importance; he had to enter the castle. He wandered the allies, until he found a guard, all alone, reading a sign. Ocral crouched low, and snuck up behind him, drawing his best knife. He killed him quickly and quietly from behind, and removed his armour. He took his off, and stowed it out of the way. Hopefully he could come back for it, if not, no big deal. He dressed up in the guard's uniform, and walked to the castle.

He waited near the main gate until a few other guards began heading back, their shifts over. He joined them, and entered the castle ok. He followed the guards toward their quarters, then fell behind and hid behind a statue. When they were gone, he crept out, and headed up some stairs.

He knew the castle pretty well, and knew where the meeting room was. That was how he had learned about the shipment they had ambushed. There was something going on inside, as the door was closed and two guards were outside. He strolled along in the guard uniform, and as he walked by he nodded to them. Suddenly he spun, sword drawn, and killed both guards with one swing. There bodies fell with a thump, but the door was too thick for the occupants to have noticed something.

He crouched to the bottom of the door, and closed his eyes. His senses had been honed as pat of his training, and when he focused, he could hear what was going on. One voice was definitely the king of Jarmania's, but the other he didn't recognize.

"… has been stolen, and the next was delayed! We only have two. We need at least eight more, if they're all the size! What the hell are you doing?!" The king said.

"It takes time to mine these… a part of the tunnel collapsed, and it will take some time to clear it." The stranger said. His voice was low and quiet, but not afraid.

"We don't have time! These damned Hylians are more trouble than they're worth. Then that group that stole the first one's been running rampant. We need to awaken it, by the end of the month!" The king said.

"It will take at least three more, and that's if you can keep this group away from your city, like your supposed to…" The voice said.

"That was not our fault. We don't see everything that happens in the forest. Now get me those other eight shards… or our deal is off." The king said, deadly calm.

"What the hell are you doing!" A voice called from behind. Ocral stood up, and a guard had spotted him. He took off, and the door behind him opened. He ran down the hall, but the mysterious voice chanted something. Ocral stopped mid-stride, unable to move. He heard footsteps from behind. The king walked in front of him, as did the stranger. The stranger had a black cloak on, with a complex red design on the back.

The guard who caught him walked beside them. "Should I tie him up? Will he be questioned?" He asked.

The king shook his head, grinning evilly, and said, "He cannot tell me anything I don't know. He's a royal knight. Kill him."

"With pleasure…" The cloaked man said, raising his hand. A ball of green fire appeared, growing in size.

_Jarmanians don't know magic…_ was Ocral's last thought before he left the world of the living.

**AN: Again, sorry for the delay… If you forgive me, please review.**


	5. The Sacred Temples

**AN: I'm posting this 2 days before my birthday. Yay! I have to say, I'm not happy with this chapter, it's really long and I think it's boring…**

**Review Responses:**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Ok, thanks for all the info. After I gave my head a minute to realize what it was reading, I decided which one to use. Oh, and I think I heard the word Zweihander in Soul Caliber 2, ever played it? Pretty sure Nightmare had a giant sword called a Zweihander.**

**Zombiedragon: Sorry I didn't mention you, I just didn't think you'd care because there was no question, but I'll mention you every time if you'd like. Anyway, thanks for the review, last time and this time. Glad you liked the chapter so much, and I'll try to be more descriptive if I can.**

**Spiritual Stone: To be honest, I would kind of like to write a bit of romance into it. Trouble is, I'm not sure I could write anything like that and sound serious. My strong point is my action, I think (not trying to brag, I swear), and I just don't want to ruin it with badly written romance.**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the review, glad you like the plot. I was noticing this myself, when I realized how hard it was getting to write without leaving horrid plot holes or going completely against the canon of the series…**

Ocral never arrived. Drake waited an extra day more than he was supposed to, and then found the royal knights at the main Hylian outpost. The Gorons were smashing trees, and the Hylians were setting up palisade walls, with help from the Gerudos. Link didn't fool himself with false hope. If Ocral wasn't back, he was dead or captured. Even if he had been captured, he would be dead, as he would never tell anything. That made two dead knights… Twelve were still alive, plus him.

The Jarmanians hadn't attacked, but that was expected. They would need reinforcements from other parts of their country. The only thing stoopping Hylians from attacking the city is knowing they could never hold it, if they were even able to get through the wall. Link looked over at Darunia. Having a sage was good, they had almost unmatched magical prowess. Darunia was the best they could ask for too. He was the best fighter, and fire, his element, was perfect for combat.

Link slowly drifted off to sleep, and once again dreamed of the black shadow. Only this time, the dream didn't end with tendrils of shadow approaching Hyrule. As the shadow approached Hyrule, it was cut off by three rays of light. One was green, one was red, and one was blue. The shadow was fended off from Hyrule, and beaten back. The three rays of light flew to Link, and began circling around him. He caught glimpses of women's faces, impassive yet compassionate.

"Hope is never lost." A voice said, echoing strangely

"We will help you…" Another said, similar but somehow different.

"If you help us." said the third, much like the first two.

"Free our temples… and in your hour of need, we will grant you our power." The three voices chorused.

They began to fade, and Link saw the shadow returning. This time it sped at him, full force. He woke up before it reached him, panting as though he had run a marathon. He checked the sun. About four o'clock. He got up and stretched. The palisade wall was nearing completion, and several tents had been set up. Link approached the current Hylian general, who had arrived with the reinforcements, and asked if there was something he could do.

"Probably not. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Besides, you earned a few days off." He said kindly.

Link nodded and thanked him, before finding an empty patch of grass. He sat down, and played his Ocarina for a while. He had some new listeners, Hylians who were also taking breaks. Then he began his sword exercises, swinging, back flipping, rolling, and pure strength. He practiced up a bit on his unarmed combat, which wasn't his strong point. He tried a little archery practice. He fired five arrows, got two bulls-eyes and three in the ring just around the centre.

All the while he thought about his dream. The rays of light had to be the goddesses, there was no other explanation. Free their temples… he knew that temples had been built in their honour, but that was many years ago, when Hylians were the only race. Few records had been left, and it was assumed the temples had eventually fallen into ruins. They had never been found, at any rate.

But it seemed the goddesses wanted, or needed, their temples freed. Freed from what? That was another question. When Ganondorf was around, the sages' temples were under his evil power. The same happened in Termina, from Majora's power. But Hyrule was currently free, aside from Jarmania.

Well, if the goddesses themselves thought it was important enough to come to him in a dream, he better do it. He wished they weren;t always so vague. A location would have been nice. He would have to ask Zelda. Or a sage, perhaps Rauru, he was the oldest. Back to Hyrule, then…

Link gathered the Royal Knights. "I have to go back to Hyrule again. I'd rather you stay here and help."

"Help with what? The work is almost done, and there won't be an attack for at least a week, I'm sure." Kyra said.

"Well, I don't need an escort to Hyrule. If you have business in Hyrule, fine, but otherwise there's no point." Link countered.

The knights agreed, and Link was on his way after dinner. His journey over the desert was uneventful, and he made good time by using his Goron mask and rolling. Rolling kept him from sinking in sand, moved him quickly, and shielded him from heat and sand.

He transformed back as he reached Gerudo Valley. He mounted his horse, and rode back to Gerudo Valley. He had three things that had to be done. Most importantly, he had to learn about the temples of the goddesses. He would also have to see if there was a good sword he could get. He had broken one already, and chipped the one he was using now. The swords just didn't work for his combat style. Also, he would request the Ocarina of Time. That could be truly helpful, with warp songs, the sun's song, even the song of storms. Plus, being able to use it to converse with Saria, who was a sage, could be helpful.

He arrived in Hyrule Town several hours later, sometime in mid-afternoon. He dismounted, and strode into town. To his surprise, he saw Zelda out shopping. This was only odd because usually the castle didn't let her go many places, and even now she had two guards standing a distance away, keeping an eye out. They watched Link suspiciously as he approached her.

"Back again? Are you doing anything at all?" She teased.

_You have no idea, _thought Link, while smiling a bit.

"Anyway, are you back about the sword we talked about? Because I have started planning, and I think you'll be pleased." She said.

"That's one of the reasons why I'm here. What are you planning, anyway?" Link said.

Zelda looked excited, as she said, "Well, I talked to my father, and he thought it was a great idea. In fact, he refused to simply forge you a sword of strong steel. He really does think highly of you, you know. He's having the sages, except Darunia, help the Gorons smith you a sword. Even I'm going to help, they need me to guide that part. The goron mines contain really strong metals apparently, and the gorons are the best smiths. The sages are giving it some power, so it will have some magic. Won't be as good as the Master Sword, but it will be the next best."

Link knew she didn't know much about what she was saying, as she was a sheltered princess and knew little of making weaponry. Nonetheless, she was obviously telling what she heard, and the news was good. As for the magic, there she probably knew the most.

Link smiled and nodded, and said "sounds great."

Zelda looked pleased. "So what else did you need in Hyrule?" She asked.

Here Link looked troubled, as he recalled his dream. "Zelda… I need to know about… The Temples of the Godesses."

Zelda looked at him solemnly. "Why?" She asked, the cheer gone from her voice.

"Does it matter? What do you know?" Link asked.

"Not much. No one does. You should know that." She said.

"I do. I also know that when nothing is known, it means the only people who actually know it are the sages or the royal family." Link said carefully.

Zelda looked at him. "Follow me." She said, walking back towards the castle.

Link followed her, and she led him into the castle and down into the basement. They ended up in a gloomy, dark room lit by torches.

"This is the hall of records. Normally I can't show you what I am going to, but I'm sure it's ok to show the hero of time." Zelda said. She led him past several shelves full of books and parchment, to a large crate at the end. It was locked up tight, but Zelda produced the key seemingly from thin air, and opened it. There were several chests, each labeled and locked up. She leaned over, and picked one up. It was marked _The Sacred Temples. _She carried it over to a table, which had a torch burning over it. She and Link sat down at opposite sides, and she opened the chest with yet another key. Inside were just a few sheets of parchment.

"These are taken from ancient records. Very few things were recorded back then, but this was important enough. It tells the story of the temples. The original texts were almost destroyed over the years, but most of it was legible enough to translate here, word for word when possible." Zelda explained, taking them out and placing them on the table. They began to read…

_Today, our scouting team found something odd. A Temple, beautiful, on an island off the shores of the Hylian Ocean. They described it as being impossibly elaborate, something we could never construct. Sculptures of a beautiful woman, clothed in blue. Her eyes are of fine Sapphire, according to them. Inside were two accessible rooms. One was an entrance hall, just stairs and more statues. The second room had another door, but it was covered in bars. There was a ray of sunlight shining in, and many mirrors in little tracks. There was also a small altar in the middle, and the message "Nayru grants her love to the wisest of the people" was inscribed on it. What lies beyond the door, however, is a mystery…_

_Another Temple was found. It is suspended inside the volcano. The men found it hard to explain. There was a bridge leading down from the summit into the temple, which seemed to float there, rooted to land by that bridge. There was obviously great magic at work. The king decided these temples must be the will of gods. Goddesses actually, If the statues are accurate. The statues here were of an exotic looking woman, draped in red, and there were many in the entrance hallway. The second room again had a locked door, but there was a chain that came out from the wall beside it. The chain couldn't be pulled, it was far too heavy. There was an altar, and this one read "Din grants her respect to the most powerful of the people."_

_The king has appointed priests to the temples. These goddesses are to be worshipped by the people, by law. He has given them the identities of Nayru, goddess of Wisdom, and Din, goddess of power. _

_A third temple was discovered, at the outer part of the Great Forest. A green goddess is depicted, and she seems to be clothed only in leaves. Another hall leads to a second room, but the door wasn't covered. As soon as someone opened it, and stepped inside, he screamed. He came out, blabbering nonsense. He hasn't recovered, and merely stares into space, completely unresponsive. The altar reads "Farore grants her admiration to the bravest of the people."_

_The king appointed this temple a priest as well. He believes them to be sisters. He has begun allowing citizens to visit the temples, and pray to the goddesses. Now, there is Din, goddess of power, Nayru, goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, goddess of courage. Three virtues, the three virtues our people now believe in._

_A fourth Temple was found. This one features a statue of each goddess. It stands alone, in the middle of the Great Field. It is surprising it has not been discovered earlier. Inside, there is a main chamber, made of white stone. There is an altar, which reads: "Ye who hold the spiritual stones, stand with the Ocarina of Time, and play the song of time." Of course, we know nothing of these stones, but nonetheless the temple seemed to be very significant. All three goddesses have a statue here, so this temple is perhaps the most important. The king has named it the Temple of Time, and has made the decision that a great city should be built around this temple, a city that will soon govern this entire land. _

_Something terrible has happened. The Temple of Time has been desecrated. The statues were broken, and the windows were shattered. The heads of the goddess statues were found inside, attached to stone spikes. The king has declared that whoever has done this shall be killed…_

_Things have gotten worse. We cleaned up the Temple of Time, but Something similar has happened to the Temples of Farore and Din. Who could it be? The priests were found dead, necks snapped. Surely no one person could do all this…_

_Nayru's Temple has been attacked, and the worst yet. Something is in there, and no one that goes in comes out. We here shrieks from inside, something inhuman. Clouds gathered over the Temple. It is a place of evil. Have the goddesses forsaken us?_

_The same thing happened at the Temples of Din and Farore. The Temple of Time has been left alone, probably because of the small town we have erected around it. Evil is coming from the temples, something almost tangible. A stray monster will attack every now and then… it hasn't rained in weeks, crops are being ruined._

_Our head priest had a dream last night. He says he saw the goddesses, and they were crying out in pain and rage. He says they gave him a message, a message that went something like, "the temples must be sealed away… the sacred realm of the Triforce will contain the evil. One day a hero will come, a hero strong enough to free us. It is your job to keep this safe, somewhere it will be undisturbed… we will guide the hero to it one day, a millennium from now."_

_He showed us a stone, a tablet with three songs carved in it. The king ordered that it be taken to a safe place, but it is not to be written on any records. So ends the legend of the Sacred Temples._

Link and Zelda read through it silently. When they finished, she said, "See? Not much of use. My father put this down here, but he did not think it was of any use. I don't know why you have to know about the temples, but you won't find much help here."

Link had to agree. The goddesses hadn't told him about any songs. Could it have been just a dream? He didn't think so… the goddesses had seemed so real. There was something about their voices.

"I had a dream… no, wait, I'll start from the beginning. I've been having this one dream, every night for the past month or so. It starts with me overlooking blood fields. There's a large battle, although that's not surprising. Suddenly this dark shadow bursts from Jarmania… It blots out the light, and kills everyone, destroys Jarmania. It usually moves on towards Hyrule, and then I wake up. Just before I came here to Hyrule, it didn't end. The goddesses descended, and deflected the shadows. They swirled around me, and looking back I remember they seemed kind of weak almost… They told me to free their temples, and they would help me do something." Link explained.

"That shadow sounds like Ganondorf from my dreams all those years ago…" Zelda said.

Link shook his head violently. "It definitely isn't him… I can just sort of… tell, you know?"

Zelda didn't doubt him. In a prophetic dream, you just knew certain things. "Link… if this dream is occurring often, I think you should seek the temples. I'm sorry for doubting you." She said.

Link shrugged it off, with a small half smile. "Link, there's only one thing you can do. Leave it up to the goddesses. If they want you to find it, you will. Now listen. I've been noticing a need for you to go back and forth between Jarmania and Hyrule. So, I'm going to give you The Ocarina of Time again." She said.

Link smiled. One of his errands taken care of. Zelda drew it from a pocket, and handed it over to him. He picked it up, once again feeling its cool surface. He thanked Zelda, pocketing the Ocarina. He knew that must have been a hard choice, for if he were to die out there the Ocarina could be lost.

He left the castle later, saying good bye to Zelda. He hadn't gotten a chance to see Elisa; Zelda said she was out for a while. He was walking through the town when he heard the shout.

"Oh my god, He's got a knife!!!!" Someone shouted. Link turned towards the voice. A man was holding a Gerudo hostage, a knife pressed to her throat. She was standing still, fairly calmly. A crowd had gathered around.

The man with the knife was grinning cruelly. "Should I kill her!?" He shouted.

To Link's horror, there was some nods among the people looking on in shock.

"What did she do?!" Link hissed at one of the spectators.

The man shrugged sadly. "She's a Gerudo. That's enough for some people… this war is bringing out the worst in everyone. Some people don't like that the Gerudos, part of our country, will only fight with us, not under us." He said.

Link looked back in horror. He looked around, and plenty of people looked on with sympathy and pity, but no one was doing anything…

"STOP!" Link commanded, running out into the circle of people. The man with the knife looked at him.

"Who the hell are you?" He grunted.

"Let her go." Link said.

"You like these thieves, do ya' boy?" He said, pressing the knife a little closer.

"Let her go." Link repeated, drawing his sword.

"What if I don't?" You gonna stick me with that?" He said, laughing.

Link slowly reached into his pocket with his right hand. He had not drawn his shield. His hand closed on something round and wooden. If this was going to work, he was going to have to count on this Gerudo being as quick and resourceful as they usually were.

Link whipped the deku nut at the ground. There was a blinding flash of light, and the crowd gasped. There was a muffled grunt, and when the light faded, the man was on his stomach, and the Gerudo had her knee planted firmly on his back, digging into his spine. She was holding his knife against the back of his neck.

Link stepped forward and out a hand on her shoulder. "Let him live. Don't sink to his level." He said. The Gerudo looked into is calm blue eyes, and nodded. She got to her feet, chucking the knife away. The man got up and ran fearfully.

"Are you all right?" Link asked.

The Gerudo was slightly cut at the front of her throat, but otherwise she was fine. "Thanks a lot, kid. It's good to know there's at least ONE decent Hylian…"

Link didn't really know what to say. He had been appalled at the cruelty, threatening to kill someone because she was a Gerudo. He had always thought of Hyrule as a friendly, forgiving place. Now he wasn't so sure… what if the Gerudo's got fed up, and stopped helping? They would lose the war for sure. Or even worse, it could lead to a civil war. The Gerudos were a proud race.

"Is there anything I can do to thank you?" The Gerudo said, eyeing Link strangely.

"Uh… no, no I'm fine." Link said.

"Whatever. My name's Aruthia, if you ever need… anything, let me know." She said, walking off.

Link shook his head, and left town. He didn't know where he was going, but he was going to let the goddesses to their thing. It would be nice not to be running things for a change…

**AN: Well, that's about it. I'll try and put more interesting stuff in next chapter. But anyway, even those of you who are reading and just ignoring me, review this time, it's my birthday! That's right, I'm talking to you. Even if you don't have something nice to say, say it! And to those who are always reviewing, I really appreciate it.**


	6. The first song

**AN: Nothing to say here…**

**Review Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Your birthday's the 28th too? Wow… well, happy belated birthday! Thanks for the review.**

**ZombieDragon: Yup, it was my birthday! Well, kinda, my birthday was the 28th, so it was 2 days before my birthday, but I figured that was close enough. Don't worry; you didn't sound much like a jerk to me last time, by the way. Anyway, the sages aren't here right now because the king isn't sure if it's a good idea, I guess. At least, that's how I;m trying to explain it. Darunia came because he's a Goron and can make his own choice. And Link doesn't have the Master Sword because he had to return it; the magic… thing Zelda used was wearing out. I'm pretty sure that was in chapter 2 or something. Well, thanks for the review!**

**Spiritual Stone: The princess's name is Elisa, but you were close. I've been so wrapped up in the main plot I kind of forgot about her… But, she's back now. Thanks for the review.**

Link spent the next few days happily. He roamed the field, sleeping wherever he felt like, just him and no one else. He dropped into Lon Lon Ranch and Kokiri Forest for a visit. He swam in Lake Hylia, and practiced in the shooting gallery at Kakiriko. For the first time in a long time, the dream left him alone. He was right now riding aimlessly through the field on Epona, under a clear blue sky.

Suddenly Epona reared up. Link, who had been relaxed, only just managed to stay on. She took off running in a different direction, bucking every now and then.

"Woah! Steady… What's the matter?" Link cried out. Epona ignored him and continued barreling along. She bucked again, and he lost his grip on the reins. He fell back, landing hard on the ground. He gasped in pain, and then lay there for a minute. Nothing seemed to be broken, so he slowly got up. His back was hurting, but he could move.

"What was that all about?" He muttered to no one in particular. He looked around. Epona had traveled a pretty good distance. He had no idea where he was. He wasn't worried about that, Hyrule Field was small enough that if he kept riding in one direction you would find a landmark.

To the north there was a small cliff face, just 3 meters up was a ledge. For some reason he found something fascinating about it. Curious, he pulled out the lens of truth. He looked through the red side, which showed invisible things. Nothing. He looked through the other side, the blue one, and noticed a part of the wall, just big enough for him to sidle through wasn't real. That was weird; these things had to be created by magic, and were only made to help protect things.

He walked up, putting the lens of truth away. He turned sideways, and slid inside. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to wriggle through. It was dark inside, as even the illusion wall blocked out light. He came out of the tight space in a larger stone passageway, lit by torches. There was a large rock blocking the way. Link was about to place a bomb, but he stopped himself just in time. He had to get back into the passageway before it exploded, or else he'd be too close. He found the spot, and slipped halfway in. He then rolled a bomb along to the big stone, and sidled deeper in.

He heard the muffled sound of a bomb, and then slid back into the chamber. The rock had been blown to bits, and the passageway further had been revealed. He climbed through the rubble, and continued walking. A good ways in, he had to step through a door. Inside, it was a square chamber with a spiky wall on each side. He already could see what was going to happen, but the way he came through was locked now. He stepped inside, and waited for the walls to start closing in.

He was wrong. A spike launched off the wall, just missing him. He yelled out in surprise, and ducked a second. He dove to the side to avoid another He stood and used Din's fire, incinerating several in mid flight. He parried one away with his shield, and jumped one that was low to the ground. Suddenly the rest all launched at once. He used Nayru's love, and the spikes were deflected. All was still, and the door to move further opened. The one to go back didn't. He continued on his way.

The next room was a tunnel, sloping down underground. He walked a little ways in, and heard a loud THUNK. He turned, and a giant boulder had dropped onto the ground, and was starting to roll after him. He quickly put on the goron mask. He was going to punch it, but it had started coming too fast. Instead, he curled up into a ball, and began rolling down as fast as he could. There was a jump at the bottom, and he cleared the cliff below with ease, uncurling and skidding to a stop as he landed. The boulder fell down the pit. He removed the mask, and opened the next door.

He was in a large room, with a chest in the centre. He walked towards it, but heard a voice speak.

"You have done well to get this far. Perhaps you are the hero. But you haven't proven it all yet… Defeat me, and you may have the Tablet of the Goddesses."

Link turned. A skeleton in armour was a approaching him, wielding a sword and a club. Link drew his weapons, and crouched a little into a fighting stance. The skeleton was lurching towards him, and then jumped with astonishing speed. It hit him twice with the club, sending him sprawling back. It plunged the sword down at him, but he rolled to the side and got to his feet. The skeleton spun with his sword outstretched, but Link back flipped to avoid it, and used a jump attack. The skeleton blocked with his club, and tried to stab Link, but Link stopped it with his shield.

Link jumped to the side, rolled behind it, and leapt into the air with a spin attack. The skeleton flew forward onto its stomach, and Link jumped on it, plunging his sword in its back. He back flipped off, and was just about to sheath his sword when the skeleton climbed back onto its feet. It turned to face him again.

"You sword wields no strength. A hero who does not know his sword does not know himself." It said, coming at Link suddenly.

Link parried the sword swing, but was hit by the club and sent flying back again. As soon as he hit the ground, he rolled backwards to his feet. He rolled forward and stabbed with both hands, piercing the armour of the skeletal warrior. He felt the crunch as it pierced the hip somewhere. The skeleton barely winced, and it kicked Link in the face, following up with an underhand club swing, knocking him flat on his back again. Link held his shield up to block the fatal stab, and then kicked up to knock the warrior off guard. He got to his feet quickly, and they exchanged swings, dodging and blocking for a while. The skeleton held its sword back, in the position Link had used to charge a spin attack when he was younger. It did not spin however; instead it swung forward and released a ball of red and purple energy. Link raised his sword instinctively, and it got unbearably hot. He dropped it with a shout, and it shattered when it hit the ground, the shards melting away.

The skeleton shook its head. "Perhaps you are not the hero I thought you were. You are not needed here. Farewell." It said, suddenly gliding rapidly towards Link. Link drew his bow and let a light arrow fly. The skeleton stopped, and grabbed the arrow out of the air. It crushed it in its hand, laughing. Link tried an ice arrow, but the skeleton was not held for more than a split second by the ice. A fire arrow ignited it, but didn't slow it down. It laughed again, and lunged towards Link lighting fast. It swung its club with all its strength, and Link flew into a wall, collapsing to his knees. He reached into his pocket.

"Didn't think it would come to this…" Link said, pulling out the Fierce Deity's mask. He held it over his face, again feeling the sharp pain as it melded to his flesh. He held in a scream, and got to his feet, mentally fighting back the evil in the mask. It seemed to get harder every time. He grew a few inches taller, gaining his body armour and twisted sword.

The skeleton hissed, and rasped "You are no hero!" It jumped at him, and Link knocked it out of the air with a blue blade of energy. The skeleton was on its feet, and held its sword up to block Link's slash. Its sword was splintered, and Link cleaved through its shoulder, slicing its arm clean off.

"TREACHORY! YOU ARE NO HERO!" It screamed again. Link blasted it into a wall with two beams, and then jumped after it. He raised his sword, ready to mercilessly kill the skeleton, for it was his enemy, everything was his enemy, kill it all, it was evil, it was ALL evil… Suddenly he dropped the sword. He wrenched the mask off, breathing hard. The mask had taken control; he had almost killed a guardian placed here by the goddesses in cold blood. The skeleton was to test a hero, what had he done?

The guardian got back to its feet. "That mask is evil… a hero has no need of evil power. But… you did show control, in the end. Control in the face of evil is a heroic quality. Perhaps you are the chosen one… but that mask must be never used again." It said, stepping aside and gesturing towards the chest.

Link stepped up to it, eyeing the skeleton suspiciously. The chest was locked, but the Triforce mark on his hand began to glow, and the lock clicked. Link opened the chest, and reached inside. There was a piece of stone, flat on one side with a song carved into it. As soon as he picked it up, he heard the voices of the goddesses in his head.

"Our temples are hidden across this land, to prevent the evil that dwells within them from escaping into the world. They are within the Sacred Realm, the golden land, where no evil can escape the temple. The songs will reveal the paths to the temples… use them well, hero." They said.

Link looked at the song, which was titled the Ode to Wisdom. It appeared to be Zelda's Lullaby, with a few variations. The stone had clearly been broken, the bottom was rough. That meant the other songs were elsewhere. He stepped away from the chest, and was surrounded by a blue glow. It lifted him up, and carried him out of the cave.

He was brought to the patch of field where Epona was waiting. Epona ran up to him, nuzzling him as if in apology. He smiled and patted her, talking in a soothing voice. He then hopped up into the saddle, and began riding Northeast, which was the approximate direction of the castle.

As he rode over the field, he noticed a band of Gerudos ahead. He thought nothing of it, and continued riding. But as soon as they noticed him, the lined up in front of his path. He yanked on the reins, pulling Epona into a quick stop. She reared up, and the Gerudos stepped back a bit, but Link kept her in control.

"What are you doing in these parts, Hylian?" One of them spat.

_You're kidding me… _Link thought. "I'm passing through. I am not your enemy." He said.

"That's not the message your people seem to be giving… We don't want your kind around here." She said.

Link didn't really have to come this exact way, but it was the principle of the thing. He should have the freedom to roam the field of his home country. Instead of trying to reason with them, which wasn't his strong point, he kicked Epona and lurched forward. The Gerudos were too surprised to do anything but dive out of the way.

"HYAH!" He yelled as adrenaline rushed through his body, and he kicked Epona into a gallop. The Gerudos had two horses with them, and someone hopped on each and began pursuing him. They barreled along the field, and Link was almost glad to have some action. He twisted his body around, drawing his bow. The tip turned white, and an icy mist gathered around it. He launched it right in front of one of them, and she slammed right into the ice chunk that grew. The horse collapsed, and the Gerudo flew forward.

The second drew alongside Link. Link didn't want to kill her, as that would only make things worse, so he tried to turn away from her. She followed, drawing a strange looking pipe. She put it to her mouth, and exhaled sharply. Link felt a sudden stinging at his neck, and his grip on reality began to slip. All the bright colours blurred, the sun seemed too bright, and he felt himself falling. He dimly saw his horse running from a weird angle, before he lost consciousness.

It had been a hard day for Elisa. Jerry Swanson, Cecilia Rose, and the new guy, a foreigner named Kip Darmina, were all bickering. Elisa had been made in charge of the council, but it didn't do her much good. The Jarmanians had slowly gained some ground, and the field was back to its chaotic state.

"Pull out the troops, let the Gerudos fight a bit, then regroup and attack!" yelled Jerry.

"The Gerudos are already fed up with us, they won't stand for it!" shouted Cecilia.

Kip yelled, "Send more reinforcements! If they take the field, it won't be long until they navigate through the desert. They'd be at the Gerudos'

doorstep!"

"We're depleting our troops too fast. We'll have to start conscripting if we do it your way, and that won't improve morale." Elisa said calmly.

"Hate to break it to you, _boss,_ but morale ain't exactly high right now… the royal knights aren't much help, and there's a rumour going around that their "almighty leader" fled the fields." Kip growled.

"Where did you hear that!?" Elisa snapped.

Kip shrugged. "This Link guy was conspicuously absent from the past few battles, according to the recent messenger."

"That is neither here no there, he's only one man anyway." Cecilia piped up. "We have to convince the king to order the rest of the sages out there. An impressive display of magic might get them off our backs."

"I think it's more important we get the Zoras. The sages will help, but the Zoran army will be helpful in the long term. Think of the advantages they'll have, attacking from the ocean and rivers." Jerry said.

"The Zoran king is weak and cowardly. He's gonna take a hell of a lot of convincing to get out there. If we're lucky, his heat will give out. Problem solved." Kip snapped.

"Alright, everybody SHUT THE HELL UP!" Elisa almost screamed.

Everyone went silent. Elisa didn't usually shout like that. "Ok," she began calmly, "I think there are a few things we should do. First, sending an envoy to-"

There was a knock at the door. Elisa sighed exasperatedly. "Come in…" she breathed.

A guard stepped in, and bowed. "A messenger from the Gerudo people arrived. Apparently, several of them got fed up with the way they were treated, and split away from the rest. The Gerudos basically have a civil war brewing." He said.

"You can't be serious." Elisa said flatly.

The guard looked apologetic. "It gets worse" he began, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "The ones who split away… they have a bargaining token. They captured Link."

"Maybe they're lying…" Elisa said desperately. The guard shook his head sadly, and threw something on the table. Elisa looked at it. It was the Ocarina of Time.

**AN: Well, what do you think? Please review. It would be nice to see some new names there with all my faithful reviewers…**


	7. A bargain

**AN: Exams are over, now I've got a week off… hopefully I can get another update or two in that time. Anyway, this chapter jumps around a lot, and it feels a bit rushed to me, but I couldn't seem to fix that.**

**Responses:**

**Zombiedragon: You're probably right about Link being captured by Gerudos, and if I wanted him to escape I guess he could have. But remember, he had the disadvantage of not wanting to kill, AND he was taken out from a distance. Thanks for the review!**

**Spiritual Stone: I guess the real reason the skeleton didn't call him a hero is that he used in evil mask… although maybe there is more… eyes go all shifty**

**Anime Wildfire: I turned 15, so I guess I'm exactly a year younger than you (yes, I know that was kind of stating the obvious). Thanks for the review!**

**Dac91: Wow, glad you liked it so much. Nice to see another reviewer, so thanks a lot.**

Link awoke in a dark place. His head was pounding in time with his heartbeat. He got to his feet, and everything seemed to be spinning. He shook himself, siphoning a bit of his magic to wake up. His eyes began to adjust, and he could see a bit around him. He was in a small room, square, no bigger than 2 meters by 2 meters. The walls and floor were dirt, above him was a wood ceiling with a trap door. He was in a pit.

"HEY!" He called as loud as he could. There was silence, and then the trap door opened above him. He held his hand up to black the light, and a Gerudo's face came into focus. She was smiling slyly, and playing with his hookshot. All of his stuff had been taken of course, including, he realized with a wince, the Ocarina of Time.

"All cozy down there?" The Gerudo asked with a smirk. Link jumped up, but the ceiling was well out of his reach. He thought maybe din's fire could burn the roof, but that was risky, the ground around him could cave in. The warp point he had set oh so long ago for Farore's wind would have faded by now.

"Why are you bothering to keep me here?" Link asked.

"We know who you are. One of our members was very close to Nabooru, and we learned something of the Ocarina of Time… and you had it. Afraid I can't tell ya much more…" She answered.

Link noticed that they hadn't taken his golden gauntlets… that could help him make handholds in the dirt, unless it was too soft. For now, he decided to try talking to the Gerudo.

"So, what, are you our enemy now?" Link asked casually.

The Gerudo looked hesitant, but said "Not all of us… some feel "loyalty" towards your people, despite how you treat us like garbage. They follow Nabooru. We are the deserters, in more ways then one." She didn't explain further.

"You think holding me will help you?" Link said with a chuckle. "No one will give you anything of value for me."

"Not even a certain former Jarmanian Princess?" She said slowly, smirking.

Doubt crossed Link's face. She could do that, couldn't she? The question was, would she? Link hoped not, but he had saved her life. People do not always make the logical choice. The question was, how much would she trade?

The Gerudo winked at him, before closing the trapdoor, leaving Link to question how some simple Gerudo could have caught him.

Back in Hyrule castle, Elisa was talking with her council, while wondering how Link could have been captured by some simple Gerudo.

"Is he worth anything? Why not leave him?" Jerry asked.

"Do you listen to anybody? He won us one of the battles, and contributed largely to several others. I say we break him out." Cecilia said, brushing her short, black hair out of her eyes.

"We don't even know where the bastards have taken him. How do you expect us to bust him out?" Kip growled, cigar poking out of his mouth. He had short cropped salt and pepper hair, yellow teeth, and was very muscular and lean.

"They're sending someone over to bargain tomorrow, we have to be prepared!" Jerry said.

"What is it they want again?" Kip grunted.

"Several things… They want to be the exclusive owners of Lon-Lon ranch, mainly." Elisa said.

"Why would they want that? Doesn't make any damn sense." Kip almost roared.

"If you lived here it would. The ranch breeds the best horses in Hyrule, probably the best in the world. The ranch itself could be defended easily, with high walls all around. Also, the milk from the cows bred there contains mystical healing properties. It's owned by a simple family… and if we give it to the Gerudo, they want to keep the family as slaves." Cecilia said.

Elisa, who had been considering giving up the ranch, gave a start, and said "They want the family? Why?"

"I guess you wouldn't know this, but the Gerudo do not know how to raise horses or cows, or even cuccos. They get horses by trading camels with us." Cecilia explained.

This made things worse. Not only would they have to give up an innocent family to rogue Gerudo, but the family was friends of Link, she knew. Would he ever forgive him for doing that? But she couldn't leave him too die. It was going to be a long meeting...

Elsewhere, on Blood Fields, things were going from bad to worse for the Hylians. Agraros had taken over temporarily, and he was slowly watching the situation spiral out of control. The Jarmanians had received reinforcements from all over their country, and were pushing forwards. It seemed to be an act of desperation, but it was doing the trick. Hyrule's forces were scattered again and again, falling further and further back towards the mountains. Worse, the latest group of Gerudo support had been the smallest yet, not even a hundred, and they brought news of a civil war in Gerudo valley. Nabooru had been using her sage powers to call on dead soldiers, but they only fought briefly before fading back to the realm of the dead.

Kyra, who had always been a bit of a rebel, was bordering on treason. She didn't listen; she was reckless, blaming Link for being gone. Of course, when Link had been here, she was the most opposed to his leadership, so no one paid her argument any heed. She did have some Gerudo blood in her, Agraros reminded himself, and so this shouldn't be so surprising.

Agraros turned suddenly, and just managed to dodge an arrow. A legion of Jarmanians was advancing towards his position. He called over the knights, and they began a charge before the Jarmanians fired more arrows. That is the way it had been for the last few days.

The two groups clashed, Agraros's two swords out and swinging. They glowed orange and burst into flame, and he stabbed them both into a Jarmanians skull. He wrenched them free, spinning to stab at another. He brought his swords out to the sides quickly, slashing through another. He used a spin attack, a move he had learned from watching Link fight. Link's fighting style was very unique, and Agraros had noticed bits of it had begun to influence his own, rigid style he had been learning since he was a child. As if to prove the pint, he jumped at a Jarmanian, bringing both his swords down with all his strength.

Several scattered Hylians and Gorons joined them. The Gorons still inspired awe from sheer strength, effortlessly tossing Jarmanians left and right, swords glancing off of their tough, rocky backs. They managed to cut through the Jarmanians, but only got a few minutes to relax before running off to help out elsewhere. Such was the life of a warrior…

The dirt around the pit Link was in had proved to be too soft. He dug his golden gauntlets in, but they slid out, trailing dirt and dust. He coughed and stumbled back. He would need a better plan. Suddenly the trap door above him opened up again, and the same Gerudo was up there. She had some food and water, which she lowered to him on a tray. The water was in a glass bottle, and Link got an idea. He pretended to fumble with the tray as he grabbed it, and dropped the bottle of water. It shattered all over.

"Idiot. You ain't getting more water. Put the pieces in the tray." She snarled.

Link took the food, cold meat and bread off, and then put all the glass back on, except for one long shard, which he kept hidden under his boot. The Gerudo gave him one last look of disgust, and slammed the door shut, leaving him in darkness again. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he went over to a wall and dug around until he found a nice big rock, almost the size of his head. He smiled slightly, and then sat down with his food, his rock and glass shard beside him. He could wait. As long as it took…

About an hour later, the trap door was opened, and the Gerudo poked her head back in. Link heaved the rock up, and it slammed against her head. Simple, but effective. She had leaned over a little too far, and when she instinctively raised her hands to her head she fell in. Link was up in a flash, holding the piece of glass to her throat.

"Key." He said, extending his other arm. She laughed at him, still holding her head.

"You're several meters down. Even with a key, how do you plan on climbing out?" She said boldly. Link bit his lip. He hadn't really been thinking. He sighed, and dropped the piece of glass. She smiled, and got up.

"Good try though." She said, walking to the center. A rope was being lowered for her. She had her sword out now, and was walking backwards towards the rope, sword outstretched. She scooped up the piece of glass, then grabbed the rope, and was pulled up.

Link sighed, and lay down. There would be other chances.

The Gerudo messenger arrived at the castle the next day. She was allowed to meet with Elisa and the war council.

"We have decided to sweeten the deal a bit…" The Gerudo said.

Elisa said nothing, just looked at her inquiringly.

"If you give us the ranch, we will not only return Link, but we'll call a temporary truce. Should leave you free to deal with those Jarmanians, aye?" The Gerudo said.

Elisa listened, thinking. She said, "Could you leave us alone to discuss this?"

The Gerudo nodded, and stepped outside. Jerry spoke up, saying "We should give it to them. We need a truce."

Cecilia shook her head. "No way, we need the ranch too. Besides, there's a family there, who knows what they'd go through under the rule of rogue Gerudo."

"I say give them the ranch. We can deal with our problem, then take the ranch back after. It's small, they can't defend it forever." Kip said.

"So we have one vote for no and two for yes…" Elisa said.

"Down to you. Your vote's worth two, of course." Jerry said.

Elisa sighed. Why did it have to be so hard? Her conscience was telling her no, but common sense said yes. She knew deep down that common sense wanted what was best for the people. But was sacrificing a few to help many acceptable? She just didn't know.

"Um… Elisa?" Cecilia said. Elisa looked up. She bit her lip, and nodded.

"They can have the ranch." She said quietly.

Kip nodded, but Cecilia looked at her angrily. Elisa avoided her gaze. The Gerudo was called back in.

"On behalf of the Hylian war council, I accept your proposal." Elisa said, standing up.

The Gerudo smiled. A treaty was signed, and the Gerudo went on her way. Elisa didn't get much sleep that night. Had she done the right thing?

Link awoke with a start. The trap door was being opened above him. A rope was lowered down. "What's going on?" He called up.

"You're free to leave. Get up here." A Gerudo called back down. Link didn't like that. What had Hyrule given for him? He climbed up the ladder, and was grabbed, thrown down, and blindfolded.

"Can't let you tell anyone how to get to us, someone said, hoisting him up onto a camel. Someone got up behind him, and they took off. He was obviously somewhere in the desert, but with the blindfold on he would never be able to find them again. He lost track of time as they rode. Eventually, the blindfold was taken off and he was shoved into Gerudo Valley. His stuff was tossed after him. He looked back, and the Gerudo were riding off at full speed. He dug through his stuff… it was all there, in his pouch that he clipped to his belt. Even the small part of his sword that hadn't been shattered in the cave by the guardian was there. He realized suddenly that the Ocarina of Time was missing. He dug frantically for it, but nothing. He pounded his fist against the ground in anger.

He got up. Now that he thought about it, they didn't necessarily have it. They would have sent something to the castle to convince them that they had him. That calmed him down about the Ocarina, but he began worrying about what they had given for his release. What had he been worth? With that in mind, he called Epona on the Fairy Ocarina Saria had given him, and rode to the castle.

**AN: I know that was a boring chapter, it was just about sort of setting the scene. Please review anyway, maybe with tips on how it could have been more interesting. That's how I improve.**


	8. Bad News

**AN: Man, my computer is like, dying… viruses are showing up all over, popping up random windows and stuff. We're having some friends take it and look at it soon, but that means this may be my last update for a while. Anyway, this chapter isn't very action packed, but stuff happens. Next chapter I promise more in the action department.**

**Responses:**

**ZombieDragon: Thanks for all the tips… I wanted to make more with Elisa's decision, but I was tired and… well, it all just comes down to laziness on my part. Although I don't think Link could have really escaped, his shield belt wouldn't reach, and even if he took her sword he would still be in a pit. Either way, thanks for the review!**

**Anime Wildfire: It's Elisa, but close enough. Thanks for the review!**

**Spiritual Stone: yeah, being Jarmanian in a Hylian world would suck, I imagine. Thanks for the review!**

Link entered the market quickly, heading for the castle. It had been a total of two days since he was released. He strode purposefully through the market, and entered the castle courtyard. A guard strode up to him.

"Can I help you sir?" He asked. Link turned his head to look at him.

"I need to see Zelda, or the king, someone." He said.

"You know, we don't allow just anybody enter the castle." The guard said.

Link flashed him a small piece of parchment, signed by the king. "Alright, but I have to escort you." The guard said.

The guard led Link into the throne room. The king was talking to a guard, and as soon as he saw Link he raised a finger. He wrapped up whatever conversation he was having, then turned to Link. "You're back I see." He said, with a little less of his usual enthusiasm. Link could tell something was wrong, and he had s feeling it had something to do with what they had given for him.

"Yes. What… what was traded for me?" Link said carefully.

"Why don't you talk to your girlfriend and find out?" The king almost spat. Link knew better than to press him further, so he bowed, which seemed appropriate, and left the room, heading for the top floor.

The war council's meeting room was empty, so he went to Elisa's room and rapped sharply on the door. He heard slow footsteps, and then the door was opened. Elisa was standing there, and she looked up at him for a few seconds before starting to cry. Link, who had been pretty mad at her a second ago, was taken aback. He was never that good with people, and so he was completely out of his element. He shamefully felt an urge to just run for it.

"Uh… what's- what's wrong?" He asked.

"You! You went and got captured, and I accepted the deal, and now people are mad at me, and that family's got to deal with those damn Gerudos, and oh god what have I done!" She screamed hysterically. Link had no idea if she was mad at him, herself, the Gerudo, or even just people in general.

"Calm down, ok?" He said, stepping backward.

"Oh, easy for you to say, you just got sprung from prison with no effort on your part!" She yelled at him.

Link felt an uncharacteristic surge of anger. "Oh, sorry I'm not perfect out there while you sit here and decide what to tell other people to do! Sorry I was thrown in a dirty pit in the DESERT where I had to pass up a glass of water just so I could fail to escape!" He shouted.

Elisa just slammed the door in his face. Link, now back to his usual calm self, thought about saying something, but instead just walked away. He still didn't know what she had traded for him. Something about a family? That didn't bode well. He needed to find someone who wouldn't cut him off, or just start screaming at him. Where would Zelda be?

He found her in her favourite part of the castle, the courtyard where they had first met. She turned to look at him, and he was relieved to see she didn't appear to feel any different about him.

"I am glad to see you safe, Link." She said.

"You're the first one. Look, I really need to know what was traded for my life." Link responded.

Zelda looked away. "You're not going to like the news."

"Either way I need to know." Link responded.

"Well, first of all the trade was for you and a truce with the deserters." Zelda said. If anything that made Link worry more. That meant they had asked for something valuable. He waited silently, boring into her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Link, Elisa gave them… The Ranch."

Link's mouth went dry. "Lon-Lon ranch?" He croaked, as if there was another of value.

Zelda nodded slowly. Link couldn't believe it. Talon was like a father to him, and Malon was probably the person he trusted most in all of Hyrule. She didn't deserve to be kicked out of the ranch with no where to go.

"Where did Talon and Malon go?" Link asked.

Zelda hesitated. "Link… they didn't go anywhere. They wanted Talon, Malon and Ingo to work the ranch."

"I'm going." Link said.

"No! Link, you can't!" Zelda said.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Link shouted.

"Link, if you go now they'll kill you. You don't even have a sword!" Zelda said to his back as he turned to walk away.

He stopped. He hadn't though of that. Lon-Lon ranch wouldn't be easy to attack either, with only one narrow way in. "Zelda, I have to go."

"I know Link. But you'll need this." Zelda said. Link turned to face her. She was holding a sword in its scabbard. The scabbard was black, and inlaid with white gems. The handle of the sword was much more colourful. It was the same design of the Master Sword, But red. Also, there were white stripes on the grip, and the pommel was inlaid with an emerald. The gem that extended from the hilt to the blade that was gold on the Master Sword was a diamond here. It showed on both sides, and was carefully fitted into a hole carefully cut in, so that you could almost look through it and see out the other side if the gem were clearer.

Zelda handed it to Link. He drew it from the scabbard, and held it up. It had the same shape as the blade of the Master Sword he noticed affectionately. There was one major difference though. On each side of the blade, the seven sages' symbols were carved, one above the other. The first one was where the blade first thickened, and they ran up to the last one at the top where the blade tapered to a point. The last one he didn't recognize, but it vaguely resembled an hourglass, so it was obviously Zelda's. Each symbol was glowing with the sages' respective colour. He raised it up, and then swung three times, before raising it into the air. It had a very similar weight to the Master Sword.

As id reading his mind, Zelda said "We tried to make it look and feel like the Master Sword, so it would feel familiar. We each gave some of our power to it. May it serve you well."

Link nodded gratefully. It was definitely a fine blade. He dropped the plain scabbard that had housed his broken sword, and affixed the new one. It did feel like the Master Sword.

"Link, I still don't think you should go." Zelda said.

"I don't care." Link said, feeling anger and sadness again as he thought about Talon and Malon.

"Link… be careful." Zelda said.

Link didn't respond. He turned, and left the room, already planning his attack.

Talon was just enjoying a cup of tea, and thinking about the day's chores, when there was a knock on the door. Malon, who had been fixing breakfast, ran over to get it. "Thanks honey." Talon said, going back to his tea. He heard a voice with a Gerudo accent say something he couldn't quite make out.

Malon said something, and the Gerudo said something else. Talon hadn't made much of it, until he heard a smacking sound. He looked up and Malon was reeling back, holding her head.

"What the hell!!" He screamed, getting up. Three Gerudos marched in, each holding a scimitar.

"Don't move, old man, or we cut your daughter and then you." One of them snarled.

Talon stopped. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He roared.

"Taking our ranch. Now sit down and be nice, and no one has to bleed." The Gerudo said.

Ingo appeared at the doorway. "I heard a bunch of noise, what's-" He stopped in mid-sentence, noticing the Gerudos, Malon on the floor, and Talon's look of fury. "Maybe this isn't the best time. I'll be far away, if anyone needs me." He said, turning to run.

A Gerudo grabbed him by his fancy collar and tossed him inside. "Alright, listen up!" The Gerudo in charge spat. "This is our ranch now, you hear? We got papers to prove it, signed by the Hylian war council themselves. So quit your whining. We are the deserters, NOT the weak Gerudo who blindly follow your king. You look like a soft bunch, but that's going to change. You do what we say, when we say to do it. Disobedience and incompetence will result in sever punishment. You are going to run this ranch, raise us horses, supply us with that special milk, and feed us. In return, you live and get to eat what we don't. Sound fair?"

Talon glared at her. "You don't think the Hylians will resist?" He said.

"Of course they won't. They're too afraid to break the precious truce. And so what if they do? They can only enter through the tiny passage leading up here. No one can get through that if we defend it well." The Gerudo responded arrogantly.

"Link can." Malon said quietly from her position on the floor.

"What was that?!" A Gerudo barked.

Malon got to her feet, and boldly said, "Link can."

The Gerudo smiled. "Honey, I don't know who Link is, but frankly I don't give a damn. He ain't going to help you. Now get your pretty little ass out there and GET TO WORK!" The Gerudo screamed at the end, flourishing her weapon. "You too!" She barked at Talon and Ingo. Unable to do anything else, the three headed out to the barn. All this happened on the day Link was released. He wouldn't arrive at the castle for another two days.

**AN: Wow, that last bit seemed a bit… harsh. Please review!**


	9. Battle for the Ranch

**AN: Ha ha, I finally got around to beating the original Legend of Zelda… not exactly as epic as Twilight Princess :). Fun though. Oh yeah, as for this chapter, it's probably my most violent one yet… well, this is a T rated story.**

**ZombieDragon: Thanks for the offer, but you probably can't help my computer much without seeing it… We're getting it looked at anyway.**

**Spiritual Stone: Yeah, two or three days would be better than seven years. Thanks for the review!**

Link slowed down as he approached the ranch, before he could be spotted. He dismounted, and thought about how he would manage to get in. He would have used the stone mask he had picked up in Termina, because it made him invisible, but all his non-transformation masks didn't work in Hyrule. So that was out. A distraction maybe? But they would never leave the entrance open no matter what. But there were guards keeping lookout from the roof of the house and stable, as well as on platforms set up around the rocky wall surrounding the ranch. If he could hookshot onto the house and get behind the chimney, he'd be out of sight… but they would definitely see him flying through the air on a chain. Well, it came back to a distraction.

He had a plan. But he would have to be quick. He pulled out a bombchu, and set it going over the wall. It blew up in the middle of the ranch. All the Gerudos turned, while Link drew his bow. He shot the Gerudo on the house with an arrow, killing her instantly. He pulled out his hookshot, and launched on top of the house, kicking the Gerudo's body over the edge and out of site before scrambling behind the chimney.

He glanced around the chimney, The Gerudos had turned back to their posts, while several on the ground were investigating the explosion. Link cast his eye around for everyone. Ingo was bringing food to the Gerudos, and Talon was out exercising the horses. He couldn't see Malon…

He heard a small scream from the barn. His hand went for his sword, but he retrained himself. That had definitely been Malon. He wondered how long he could stay back here without being discovered. He probably couldn't do anything until nightfall, there were about fifty Gerudos up and about that he could see, and there could be over ten more in the house and barn. He looked at the sun. It would be several hours before it was dark, he couldn't stay here that long, and it would defeat the purpose of coming here before dark. It had been a while since he had taken on a horde of enemies this big. Perhaps it was time to get back in practice.

He drew his bow and stood up. He took out three of the Gerudo lookouts before anyone saw him. When they did, he ran and jumped over to the barn and shoved the Gerudo over the edge with a kick. He took out two more Gerudos with his bow, and the realized he only had three arrows left. He hadn't restocked in a very long time. He put his bow away to conserve them, and drew his new sword and shield.

He jumped off the roof, rolling as he hit the ground and stabbing after his roll, killing one. He back flipped to avoid a spear, and countered with a jump attack. Most of them were running towards him, so he ran towards the middle. He knew his only chance was to engage a few at a time. Talon look at him in surprise, and Link smiled, waving quickly. He spun suddenly, stabbing a Gerudo who had gotten too close. Running backwards now, he threw a few bombs, killing four. He saw the entrance to the giant ring just behind him, se he turned and ran in.

(Gerudos remaining: 48)

The horses scattered as he ran through, which was good since they would only get in the way. He stopped near the middle, doing a quick 360 degree scan. Gerudos were hopping the fence at all sides, advancing on him. He saw a few arrows up in the sky, so he threw on Nayru's Love before they hit him. He also set a warp point right where he was, in case he got into a jam. He then spent his last three arrows on three of the lookouts, who were the ones shooting at him. He looked around, picked a spot where the fewest Gerudos were advancing, and dashed at them. They swung at him, but Nayru's Love kept him safe. He slashed one, two, three, and the rest scattered before him as they saw how useless their weapons were against his shield. The blue diamond began to flash as he jumped at the fence, vaulting it easily. He bent his knees as he landed, using his momentum to spring at another Gerudo and drive his sword through her head.

(Gerudos remaining: 41)

All those Gerudos who had went after him inside the ring were now scrambling out. One of them, probably the leader, was shouting, "He's just one man! Kill him!"

Link set off three bombchus into the ring, and flipped backward to avoid more arrows. The bombchus killed two. Link spun and whipped his boomerang at another lookout Gerudo with a bow. It hit her in the neck, and she fell off, clutching her throat. She didn't get back up.

Link caught the boomerang and put it away. He used Nayru's Love again, and could feel his magic running low. He had been using it a lot recently, without giving it much time to recharge. He took a quick look around. His first goal was to kill the five remaining archers, as he could probably only use one more Nayru's Love. He charged a spin attack and used it to fend off the advancing Gerudos, killing one, and then dashed for the other side of the ranch, where the archers were.

(Gerudos remaining: 37)

He got there with his boomerang drawn, and threw it. It killed one, and was heading for the second, but she knocked it off course with a sword and it fell outside the ranch. He used his hookshot, and it lodged in her shoulder, and he slashed her when it reeled her down. His diamond began to fade, and the Gerudos drew their bows. The ones on the ground were getting too close as well. He ran at the advancing group, and used Din's Fire as he approached. Four Gerudos were engulfed in the holy fire. The rest fell back, and Link took the time to dash through, dodging a few sword swipes. He ran in the direction of the barn, wondering how long he could keep this up. He could feel himself tiring.

Several Gerudos headed him off. Link turned, and saw more coming from there. He used Farore's Wind, and was brought back to the middle of the ring. The first thing he noticed was that he was out of magic, totally and completely. The second was that it had worked well, and almost all the Gerudos were clustered beside the ring, looking around. He dashed out of the ring and towards the house, panting. He opened the door to the house, ran inside, and slammed it shut, locking it. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He heard a noise suddenly, and ducked quickly. A scimitar punched through the door where his head had been a second before. He drew his sword and spun, slicing. The Gerudo jumped back, and he merely left a small cut on her leg. She actually laughed as if she enjoyed it. Link bent his knees slightly, getting into a fighting stance. She was obviously a better rank than the rest of the rabble, as she had a more elaborate outfit and wielded two scimitars. She was smiling as she watched him, and winked before leaping at him. Link jumped back, and slashed in. She blocked it, stabbing at him. He ducked it and kicked out to trip her, but she jumped over his foot.

"You're not bad honey, but you got a LONG way to go," She laughed, stabbing both swords at him in a pincer motion. Link back flipped, landing on a table. He stabbed down at her, but she side stepped it and jumped up onto the table as well. They stood at opposite ends, the table creaking under their weight. With almost cat like balance, she jumped at him and brought both scimitars down at him. He blocked with his shield, but the force sent him teetering over the edge.

He cried out, falling on his back. She jumped after him, landing on him with one knee planted firmly on his stomach. The wind was knocked out of him, and he gasped for air. She raised both swords up with a creepy, guttural, animal like cry, and brought them down. He brought his shield up, and it slammed into her head, and both scimitars curved out just a bit, getting stuck in the ground on either side of his head. He brought his sword up, impaling it through her gut. She gasped, and slowly lost her grip on her weapons. Her eyes went blank. Link heaved her body away, and stood up, panting.

(Gerudos remaining: 30)

It was then that he noticed the banging at the door. He pulled one of the scimitars out of the ground, and stood at the other side of the room, facing the door. The door bust open, and he hurled the scimitar at the first one who came in, killing her. Several more stumbled and fell over her body, and Link ran up the stairs, leaving behind a bomb that killed another. Upstairs, he barricaded the door, and ran for the window. He opened it quickly, stepping out onto the roof. He couldn't see Ingo, Talon, or Malon, so he just hoped they had taken refuge somewhere. He jumped off the roof, and ran to the entrance to the house. He peeked in, and saw most of the Gerudos crowded around the stairs. He rolled a bomb in, and they tried to scatter, but it killed five as they were in close quarters.

He backed against the barn as Gerudos poured out of the house. Link was tired, and even his adrenaline was running low. He had to rely on them not knowing that. He summoned the last of his strength, and dashed forward with his sword swinging. It worked, and after he killed one they instinctively ran and gave him a clear path through. He rolled another bomb behind him, killing three.

He saw some fear in the Gerudos eyes, and three of them fled the ranch right then despite their advantage. Right now, fear was Link's best weapon.

He picked one out, and ran right at her, screaming "Hyaaaa!!!" with his sword raised. She didn't even attack but tried to block, and Link killed her. He spun at another, but all this fighting had taken its toll. He lost his balance and fell to his knees. A Gerudo raised her spear, a look of triumph on her face. Suddenly she was hit from behind by a heavy rock, and fell down out cold.

Link looked up, and saw Talon and Ingo, Ingo with a sword and Talon with a pitchfork, each of them jeering the Gerudos. Five of the Gerudos ran after them, and they ran out of sight. Link used the distraction to get to his feet. There were nine around him. One of them had two scimitars, and the same outfit as the other one he killed.

His magic had recharged a bit, and he surprised them with a spin attack. His glowing blue blade killed four. His magic was out again, but he had gotten his second wind. He leapt back, and threw a bomb. They all dodged it, but one fell down, and Link stabbed her quickly before running back out of range of the other four. One of the Gerudo turned and tried to run, but the one with two scimitars stabbed her in the back for disobedience.

Link moved quickly, and parried a spear thrust, dashing forward and slashing one, and spinning to block another spear. He stabbed the other spear wielder quickly before the one with the scimitars could react.

(Gerudos remaining: 2)

Link turned to engage the final one that he could see, but she was too quick. She knocked his sword out of his hand, and kicked him down onto his back. She stood over him, with her foot digging into his ribs to keep him still. She raised her sword high, and plunged it down…


	10. The Temple of Wisdom

**AN: Hee hee, sorry about that little cliffie… Couldn't help myself, I usually wrap my chapters up nicely. It was fun… anyway, have a dose of sweet, sweet relief.**

**Responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: yeah, Link got a bit vicious there… but in his defense, his friends were put into a pretty harsh situation. Thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: Again, couldn't help it. It was so tempting… I figured you'd like that chapter, finally some ass kicking. And don't worry about my computer, we got it covered, but again thanks for the offer. And of course, thanks for the review! **

**Dark Raku: Do you really think I would kill Link? Read on… and thanks for the review.**

**Anime Wildfire: yeah, that cliffhanger was a bit harsh, so I tried to get this out there quickly so my readers wouldn't form a lynch mob or something… Thanks for the review!**

Link watched the blade come down towards his chest with resignation. He was beaten, but at least his job was done. Suddenly someone came flying out of the barn and slammed into the Gerudo, who in turn slammed into the wall of the house. Both figures tumbled to the ground. Link staggered to his feet, and saw Malon on the ground, grappling with the Gerudo who was slowly but surely bringing her scimitar closer to Malon's neck. Link dashed forward, and kicked the Gerudo in the head. He kicked her again, and again, and again, then picked her up and threw her into the wall. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Link collapsed to his knees. He fell on his side, breathing hard. Malon ran over.

"Are you alright?" She asked, worried. Link nodded, sitting up.

"I'll be right back." She said, dashing into the house. She came back out a few minutes later with a bottle of Lon-Lon Milk, and handed it to Link. He took it gratefully, and drained it all in one go. He felt some of his energy return to him, and got to his feet, scooping up and sheathing his sword.

"I knew you would come, Link." Malon said.

Link smiled, and began to walk to where he had seen Talon and Ingo run. He saw they had managed to kill the Gerudos, although Ingo was bleeding quite a bit from a nasty wound on his head and Talon was limping slightly.

"Pretty good timing, son!" Talon shouted, jovial as ever despite the limp.

Ingo didn't say much, but he shook Link's hand briefly. Link looked out at all the bodies, sighing. Hyrule was crumbling. He saw that now. They were on the verge of civil war, Jarmania was pressuring them from the outside, and his dream showed ill omens. All the while, they were unassisted by the goddesses because their temples were controlled by evil, and Link couldn't even find the temples never mind free them.

They cremated the bodies. A giant fire outside the ranch, every Gerudo burned. Link took off his hat, and bowed in respect. He stared into the fire, and he felt his mind drift. He saw a shape in the fire, a map, showing him someplace in the ocean. He felt himself pull out his map of Hyrule and mark it down, but he didn't seem to be doing it consciously…

"Link! Link, wake up!"

He awoke with a start. He was on the ground, and Malon was standing over him. The fire had burned down to almost nothing.

"What happened?" Link asked, getting up.

"I don't know! You just collapsed suddenly. Are you feeling OK?" Malon asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I have to get going." Link said.

"Already? But you hardly ever visit anymore!" Malon protested.

"I've been busy. And this is really important. Say good bye to your dad for me." Link said, calling Epona.

"Well… alright Link. Thank you so much. For everything." Malon said.

Link nodded, hopping on Epona. He rode off, twisting around to wave. He knew that the goddesses had helped him again, showing him Nayru's Temple. It was on an island out in the ocean that borders on eastern Hyrule. That was where that waterfall over Zora's Domain gets fed from.

He stopped at Kakiriko first, to stock up. He filled his quiver with ninety arrows, and bought a green potion and a red potion. He visited a Great Fairy's fountain and filled his other two bottles with fairies, as well as have his magic restored. The little fairies could heal him as long as he didn't die instantly from anything. So beheadings were out. He bought a few more bombs and three bombchus to replace the ones he had used. Overall, he spent about three hundred rupees, but money had never been an issue. It was all over for people to find, if you explored often.

He rode Epona along Hyrule River towards Zora's Domain. He dismounted, and trekked along the riverbank until he saw Zora's Domain. Instead of entering the waterfall, He began to climb the rocky face beside it. Hyrule was actually below sea level, sunken into the ground a bit. He reached the top, and ended up on the sandy beach, with the entire ocean out ahead of him. He had only been here once before, simple so he could have seen every part of Hyrule.

He strode along the beach towards the ocean. Using his map, he found a spot of land fairly close to this island he had to find. It was out a ways, and most people would be worried about being lost. But Link was going to use the Zora Mask, and Zoras never got lost at sea. They could sense every vibration in the water, the subtle shifts in the current, and finding shore would be no problem.

He slipped on the mask, feeling the Zora's friendly presence. He knew he wouldn't be able to breathe in the salt water, but Zoras could hold their breath for half an hour, with no trouble. HE dove in the water, feeling that weightlessness that must be like flight. He flipped, and took off, gliding through the water as if it wasn't there. The Zora's mask was his favourite by far. Rolling around as a Goron was all well and good, but you couldn't beat this kind of swimming.

He swam by some fish, which were not at all afraid of him. For the fun of it, he jumped out of the water, feeling his stomach drop, and plunged back into the calm coolness of the water. He stopped a little bit in, surfacing and checking his waterproof map. He dove back down, and continued on. About a half an hour in, he felt slight shifts in the current that suggested land. He shifted to the left, feeling the water propelling him towards the island. He leapt out of the water, and landed in the shallow stuff, rolling to his feet.

It was a fairly big island, empty except for a few trees. It was probably about a kilometer around. It seemed to be the right island, although out at sea with few landmarks it could be hard to tell. Only one way to be sure. He pulled out his Ocarina, and set the stone tablet down on the ground. He began to play, a slow, haunting tune that was very similar to Zelda's Lullaby. There were a few variations, but it had the same sort of tune.

As soon as the last note rang out into space, the island rumbled. A blue, glowing sphere appeared in the middle of the island. It suddenly shot out beams of blue, the intercrossed, arcing up above and branching out. It formed a blue spider web shape floating in the air. Link approached it, and the strings of glowing blue expanded to create a solid looking portal. He threw a rock into it, and the portal flashed brightly for a second, and the rock vanished.

Deciding to leave his fate in the hands of Nayru, he leapt through the portal, and vanished from the world of light.

He appeared in a place that was vastly different, yet the same. He was on an island the exact same shape, but this time it was not empty. There was a giant Temple occupying most of it. Broken statues of Nayru lay scattered around. The temple itself looked to be in good shape.

That wasn't the only difference. The sky was a bright yellow colour, both chilling and beautiful. The ocean reflected that, creating a very surreal environment.

A line from an ancient Hylian myth came to mind. _In a land beyond sight, the sky shines gold, not blue._ He knew where he was right then, and the glowing on his left hand confirmed it. He was in the former land of the Triforce, the Sacred Realm. The goddesses had sent the temples here to protect the world of light from their evil influence. Instead of bringing the temple to Link, they had brought Link to the temple.

Suddenly a creature ran out of the temple with amazing speed. It looked like some kind of lizalfos, but so dark a green that it appeared black. It was unarmed, and leapt at Link, claws outstretched. Link raised his shield, and it grabbed hold. Before it bowled him over, Link thrust his shield arm up, fling the creature behind him. He spun and jumped into the air, coming down at it with his sword aiming down. He stabbed it in the chest, and back flipped off.

He turned back to the temple. That hadn't been an ordinary lizalfos. It was faster, and he could feel the strength in its arms as it had grabbed hold of his shield. If he hadn't acted so quickly…

Without giving it more thought, he entered the temple. He was in the main hall, full of more broken statues, and several skeletons. Humans and Lizalfos. He began to walk forward looking around to admire the intricate, although often broken, columns. There was a sudden roar, and Link whipped his head back to face the front. Another dark coloured lizalfos was charging out of the main hall and headed for him, this one a very dark purple. Link crouched into a fighting stance. The lizalfo pounced, and Link ducked suddenly. He plunged his sword up and skewered the lizalfos stomach. It screamed in agony, and its momentum kept it moving, flying off of Link's sword and onto the ground behind Link, twitching.

Link continued walking, and entered the main hall. This one was full of mirrors, giant ones as big as him. It was also chock full of those dark coloured lizalfos, greens, purples and blues. Some were sleeping, some were pacing, and Link saw some feeding off of another lizalfos, while it was alive. They all stopped at once, and looked at him. A door slammed shut behind him, and laughter rang out through the room, a very familiar laugh… and he realized the danger of being in the sacred realm. Before he could give it much thought, several lizalfos charged at him.

He used Din's fire, igniting several of them and fending off more. One dropped down from above, and he rolled forward to avoid it. He rose with a spin attack, cleaving more. More were circling around him, sizing him up. He drew his bow, and put an arrow right between the eyes of one of them. The rest, enraged, charged. He put on Nayru's Love, and they slammed into him, knocking him down but leaving him unharmed. He got to his feet, bow still drawn. He dropped one, two, and three before they knocked him down again. This time he got his sword ready. One charged and he countered by thrusting his sword forwards, piercing its neck and spilling its blue blood. He spun, slashing diagonally down another's chest. Without turning, he twirled his sword and stabbed backwards, through another's gut. His diamond of protection began to fade as he was knocked down again. It vanished as he got up.

He jumped to the side and rolled around behind another lizalfos, jumping into the air with a spin attack. It left several gashes along its back, and it fell to the ground. He landed, and smacked another with his shield, following it up with a stab.

Pretty soon he had killed them all, although by the end he was panting. They were quick and strong. He then turned his attention to the locked door, as the ancient Hylians had. It was pretty obvious to him, it happened all the time in the sage's temples. He had to solve a puzzle to open it. There was a sun pattern above the door, which he knew he had to shine strong light onto. There was a single beam of light shining down through the roof. He examined each mirror. They were all on a square base and in a track. They could be moved along the track, but they couldn't be turned.

He set to work, finding a position for each mirror. The sun was reflected from mirror to mirror, and after some trial and error he was able to make the light beam close. It actually faced the opposite way then the sun symbol, but that was ok. He pulled out his mirror shield, and set that up, carefully aiming the light. A familiar chime rang out, and the door opened. Suddenly a soft, female voice rang out, saying "You have proven your wisdom… your final challenge is down the stairs, hero."

Link stepped through the door. It was a small room, with a spiral staircase leading down. He walked down the stairs and into a giant room, bigger than the rest of the temple. The walls and floor were all light brown. There was a large statue of Nayru in the middle, holding her arms out over a decorative altar. Link stepped towards it, and suddenly the stairs behind him smoothed out, becoming a slippery slide that he could not climb up. A shadow descended, covering the altar in a shifting black veil that appeared to be both liquid and gaseous.

A roar sounded, and the shadow began to grow. It took form as well, growing legs. It grew and grew, filling most of the chamber. Legs sprouted, and it resembled a giant spider. A single, large eye opened up, red with a catlike slit for a pupil. A mouth opened and it roared, shaking the chamber and making Link wince.

"You would challenge Gohma's shadow?" The same voice that had laughed roared from everywhere and nowhere. Link knew the voice. Ganondorf. He had been safely tucked away in the sacred realm where he could cause no harm… except that that was where Link was now.

**AN:** **Heh heh, sorry about that. Little cliffhanger, but nothing as bad as last time right? I still haven't planned the fight, and this chapter was getting to my usual length, so I decided to wrap it up. Please review!**


	11. Nayru

**AN: Two reviews? Come on, we can do better than that!**

**Responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: I wouldn't say it was quite INGENIOUS… I mean, I kinda ripped off a boss that's been overdone so many times… but I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for reviewing!**

**ZombieDragon: Don't like cliffhangers, huh? You're going to hate me... Thanks for the review! **

The giant, shadowy spider lifted its two front legs into the air, shrieking in rage. Its eye focused on him suddenly, and a bright red beam of fire cut through the air. Link back flipped, and the brown tiles he had been standing on were shattered, revealing the dirt floor below. Link drew his bow and fired a light arrow at it, but it closed its eye and the light was absorbed in the darkness.

It ran forward, raising its legs and trying to stomp on him. He rolled to the side and slashed a leg as it crashed down. It shrieked, and the leg began to bleed purple gas. Some of it touched Link's arm, and he felt a searing pain. He cried out and withdrew his arm quickly, examining it. It was burned, but not too badly. He dodged another leg, and suddenly the giant spider leapt backwards, shaking the ground as it landed. Link jumped to the side to avoid another beam of energy.

"Ice arrows can freeze the hottest fire…" A voice whispered throughout the chamber.

Link instinctively shot an ice arrow at it, but it closed its eye and the ice was absorbed by darkness. It shot another red hot beam, and Link got an idea. He drew his bow and prepared an ice arrow. Another beam was shot, and he jumped back, firing the arrow into the beam. The effect was everything he had hoped for and more. The beam froze into a pole attached to both the ground and its eye. Link ran back a few paces, then dashed at it full speed. He jumped and landed on the ice, gliding up as fast as he could. He drew out his hookshot in his right hand, sword still ready. As he began to slow down, he launched it right above the eye, and it lodged into the semi-solid shadows. He was pulled along the ice at full speed, sword in stabbing position. As he drew close to the eye, he wrenched his hookshot out of the darkness and plunged his sword into it. It dug in all the way up to the hilt. Some of that purple gas escaped, but it floated up before it touched him. He kicked the eye and yanked the sword out, sliding backward. More gas escaped, but he was far enough away, sliding further until he reached the end and back flipped off. The ice shattered.

The monster was roaring, and shadows began peeling off in layers. Link twirled his sword, and sheathed it. He heard Ganondorf laugh suddenly, and the monster stopped peeling, and was left as a shapeless blob, although about half of its old size. It formed up again, tendrils of shadow twisting to weave itself a shape. This time it created a large snake with lowing red eyes. Its fangs slowly leaked its purple gaseous blood, and Link knew he didn't want to be bit at all.

The snake coiled itself, with its head swaying. It hissed, and spit a black glob at him. He dove to the side and rolled to his feet, looking back at where the glob hit. It melted through the floor and left a large crater. It swayed more, and then struck. Its head flew forward with blinding speed, and Link barely managed to dodge. More tiles shattered where it struck. Its mouth was big enough that it could have swallowed him in one go.

It hissed, and slammed its head into the ceiling, raining rocks down on him. He used Nayru's love, and the rocks shattered on the diamond of energy. The snake struck again, and this time it got him. Link was tumbled around inside its mouth; all he could see was shadows. He was able to right himself for a second, and used the time to pull of a Din's fire. Suddenly he was surrounded by that purple gas, with only his protective diamond between him and death. It was eating away at it, and Link could see tendrils creeping in. The mouth had closed, and it wasn't a mouth anymore but just more shadows. He felt some gas, and he screamed in pain. His diamond was fading away, with just a few shreds remaining. He twisted left and right, searing pain all over. Suddenly he was falling, plunging to the ground. There was a sickening crack as some ribs broke.

He lay there, unmoving, and suddenly a little pink light floated up from his belt, circling around and spraying gold dust over him. The burns faded, and his ribs slid back into place, healing at a rapid rate. He got to his feet, and shook his head rapidly, waking himself up. He looked over to see that the snake was gone. He looked down at the altar, and saw a small shape. His vision was a bit blurry, but it cleared rapidly and he could see what it was.

Dark Link. He remembered a surreal battle with the creature in a room of mirrors and water, so long ago in the water temple. It was twirling its sword, a dark version of his current sword. But that wasn't right… then he realized it was a little different, the shadows seemingly swirling within the body. It wasn't the same Dark Link, merely that shadow creature taking his form. His shield was still on his arm, and his sword he picked up from near where he had fell. He got into a fighting stance, waiting for this Shadow Link to make the first move.

It did. With blinding speed it ran forward, suddenly stopping in front of him. Link parried its slash with his shield, and stabbed at it. It didn't jump on his blade and attack as Dark Link did, which was all the proof he needed that it was different. It did back flip though. Link pressed the attack, stabbing repeatedly while it ran backwards. Suddenly it vanished, and Link rolled forward, expecting an attack from behind. It didn't come. He looked around. There was nothing in the room, just him and his shadow. Wait, shadow? There was no specific light source in this room. He stabbed down at his shadow, and it leapt up, again creating a physical body. Link smacked it with his shield, and front flipped over its head, slashing it as it went. Purple gas escaped, but it survived.

As soon as he landed behind it he used a spin attack, causing more purple gas to escape. It spun and slashed at him, but he blocked. They traded swipes, back and forth. Link attempted Din's Fire but it hid in his shadow again until the danger passed. They continued to fight until the shadow Link surprised Link by shooting out a shadowy arm from its chest. The hand at the end of the arm was big enough to grab Link's torso completely. It picked him up, and began to squeeze.

Link cried out in pain, Struggling. His arms were pinned to his side. It reared back, and threw him across the room. He slammed into a wall with a groan, collapsing to the floor. His sword flew out of his hand. Miraculously, he didn't break any bones, so he struggled to his knees. Shadow Link approached, sword held out sideways, shield at its side. Link staggered to his feet, facing it. His sword was straight ahead, stuck in the ground. Shadow Link strode past it, staring at Link with those unblinking red eyes.

It happened in an instant. The Triforce mark on Link's hand flashed once, and he acted. He dove forward, sliding between Shadow Link's knees. He rolled to his feet once through, scooped up his sword, and stabbed backwards in one fluid motion. It pierced shadow Link's back, coming out its chest at an upward angle. It roared in anger, and its shadows began to unravel, its shape becoming less defined. Link fell on his back, exhausted. The shadow Link stood frozen, screaming, as it dissolved into nothing.

Link pulled out his red potion, and took a small swig to revive himself somewhat. He got to his feet, and looked around. Some parts of the chamber were wrecked, but it could be fixed no problem. He walked over to the altar, somehow knowing that was the right thing to do. He tentatively reached his hand over the small table there to touch the statue; the most elaborate one in the temple. He laid his hand flat on it, and threw his head back with a gasp.

The room faded away, leaving nothing but blackness. In front of him, a young woman slowly appeared. She wore a blue dress, and had blue hair done up elaborately. Link couldn't help but notice how good looking she was. She slowly bowed to him, and said, "I thank you, young hero. I am Nayru."

Link didn't know how to react. One of the goddesses who created Hyrule was bowing to him. She got to her feet. "You have suffered so much… I wish for your sake that it could end. But it is not over yet. Go forth; knowing you will be eternally rewarded in the afterlife. The song to free my sister of fire's temple is under the ranch you so cherish. Go quick… grave danger awaits those who dwell there." She said, fading away.

Link opened his eyes again, in front of the altar. Nayru's voice rang throughout the chamber, "The portal awaits. When you have left, I will bring the temple back."

The stairs, which had turned into a slide, turned back into stairs. Link rushed up them and into the mirror chamber. The door locked behind him, sealing the way to the main altar. Link exited the temple through the front hallway quickly. He stepped outside, only to find bad news.

Ganondorf stood in front of the portal. It sealed so that he could not escape. He turned to face Link, and laughed. Suddenly his laugh turned into a roar of rage, and he charged at Link. Link dove to the side, and ran for where the portal was. It opened ahead of him. He ran, dodged a beam, and dove through. It sealed up right behind him, and he was dumped unceremoniously onto the sandy ground of the island. The island began to rumble.

He got up and looked behind him. A small blue orb had appeared in the centre, and seemed to be drawing in energy, shrinking slightly. Suddenly it exploded outward, and Link was knocked over by the shockwave. He was blinded by a flash of light, and when it cleared the temple had reappeared as if it had never left.

He smiled slightly, and pulled out the Ocarina. He played the prelude of light, the uplifting notes ringing out through the calm air. He broke into golden particles, and flew up and away at high speed.

Materializing at the Temple, he ran through the market. Danger awaited those at the ranch… He called Epona, riding towards the ranch at full speed.

It looked okay as he approached it. No big army outside, no dark clouds, no Gerudos. He must have made it in time. He carefully entered the ranch. The horses were out, every thing seemed ok after all. He smiled a little, walking forward.

"Hello!?" He called out. Malon appeared from around the barn.

"Hey Link. You're back early!" She said, smiling. Something wasn't right though…

"Are you ok?" Link asked.

"Yeah, I'm… Link, RUN! It's a trap!" She screamed out. Link opened his eyes wide in shock, turning. A Gerudo stood there, bringing her club down at him. He jumped to the side, and kicked her off balance. He reached for his sword, but was clubbed from behind and lost consciousness instantly.

He awoke quickly, no period of "Where am I? What's going on?" He was lying on some hay with his hands tied behind his back. He rolled over, and saw that he was in the barn. Malon was tied to a chair. Several Gerudos stood watch. Talon and Ingo were nowhere to be seen.

He said nothing, merely worked with the knots. They were expertly tied, and he made no progress. Several minutes later, a Gerudo ran in, calling out "She's here!"

The Gerudos all snapped to attention. A minute later another walked in, and Link recognized her instantly. The one he had saved in Hyrule Town, Aruthia. She recognized him too, clearly, from the look on her face. She bit her lip, stopping in place.

"Ma'am? Should we kill them?" A Gerudo asked.

"I… Maybe we should let them go? We have the ranch." Aruthia asked.

The Gerudos looked at her strangely. "All due respect ma'am, but this one here," One of them began, nudging Link with her foot, "killed about sixty of us. That's almost a tenth of all our forces right now."

She sighed, and looked at Link helplessly. "Alright. But make it quick." She said, walking out quickly.

Malon's eyes widened. Link managed to get into a sitting position. A Gerudo drew a scimitar, and stepped toward him.

**AN: I hate me. I can't help it, I need to post a chapter, and it's been a while. I work whenever I get a review, so leave one and it'll be here faster.**


	12. Among the Deserters

**AN: Ok, more reviews this time around, good job people. Would have updated sooner, but I've had a touch of writer's block, I guess… I think it shows this chapter. Anyway, this chapter is 100 cliffhanger free.**

**Responses: **

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Thought you'd stopped reading it! It's all good though, we're all busy sometimes. Anyway, after I read your review, I reread the last few chapters of my story. And holy crap you're right. I mean, he's been going for hours and hours without stopping. I didn't really notice when I write because I take it a chunk at a time, and forget he hasn't stopped. As for surviving what he shouldn't… just plain guilty, no excuses. Although it only happened once, that I can see.**

**I'll try and rectify that from now on, so thanks for pointing that out to me. The best review I can get is one that tells me what I'm doing wrong.**

**Spiritual Stone: I have no specific comments, but you deserve honourable mention for being a constant reviewer. Thanks a lot!**

**ZombieDragon: Well, good to know I'm not HATED at least… I'll try and be quicker than I was with this one. Thanks for the review!**

Link watched the Gerudo approach. He was out of ideas, not to mention energy. His mouth was dry with thirst, he hadn't eaten in a while, and he hadn't been able to get some sleep recently. Not good conditions for any fight, especially when your arms were tied up.

"Aren't you deserters a little worried about starting a civil war now? If Hyrule falls, you will too." Link said.

"We feel safe where we are." The Gerudo said shortly.

The barn doors burst open, and a Gerudo ran in.

"Hylian army! They're approaching the ranch." She said.

"So?" The Gerudo with the scimitar asked.

"Aruthia said don't kill them. We're going to try and bargain our way out of this, she says." The Gerudo responded.

"Pity… I had been looking forward to having his blood running down my arm…" The scimitar wielding one said viciously, tossing her weapon to the side.

The first Gerudo left, leaving two to watch over Link and Malon. They sat there in silence for almost twenty minutes, and then the door opened again. A Hylian General and two guards entered, escorted by two Gerudos and Aruthia.

"There's your man, safe and sound. The girl too." Aruthia said.

The general nodded. "We will let you leave with no consequence if you surrender them. If you decline, we will have to fight, and you will lose. I hope to avoid bloodshed. Think of this as an ultimatum." He said with authority.

"You could take the ranch, no doubt. But we will kill them." Aruthia said.

"What do you suggest?" He asked.

"Same deal, But we get five of the best horse, three cows, and a wagon load of Lon-Lon milk." She said.

"NO!" Malon shouted.

Link was unsure. Normally he'd tell the general to accept, and then give chase. Right now, he wasn't sure he could walk out of the barn without falling, never mind engage several Gerudos from horseback. Even his red potion couldn't help much now; it can only go so far. Link hadn't been this flat out exhausted since he had defeated Ganon.

"We'll give the milk, two cows, and one horse." The general said.

Aruthia replied, "Same bargain, TWO horses."

"Done." The general replied, gripping her hand briefly.

Suddenly the other, main door slid open. Several Hylians rushed in. The general drew a small, concealed knife and plunged it into Aruthia's throat. She doubled over, clutching her throat and gasping. Her eyes met Link's, and he knew he would never forget the look of pain, surprise, and betrayal he saw there. She fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood, and died there. The gerudos stepped back in shock, and the approaching Hylians got them. One was viciously stabbed in the chest, and the other tried to fight back, but was slashed from behind and fell, dead.

Malon retched. Link looked on with horror. "What the hell are doing!?" He shouted out.

"Busting you out of here. We lose fewer men with a surprise attack." The general said.

"You made a bargain!" Link shouted, getting up as he was untied.

"We don't make bargains with thieves. They're filthy traitors. You should be grateful." The general said, casually wiping Aruthia's blood off his blade.

Link wasted no time. He grabbed the knife from his hands and held it to the general's throat.

"Call it off." He whispered into his ear, dead calm.

"Traitor!" The general hissed.

Link said nothing, instead guiding the general outside. The Hylians watched, confused. They didn't dare get too close. The Gerudos watched in awe. Link brought the general outside, knife still pressed to his throat. The soldiers assembled there gasped. The Gerudos in the ranch wasted no time, heading out onto the field and running the army prepared to run them down, but the general called for them to stop as Link moved the knife closer. Link noticed one scimitar wielding Gerudo on a camel behind him. He looked back and she gestured at the camel and at him, and then rode forward. Link caught on at the last second, shoving the general forward with his remaining strength and hopping on the camel behind the Gerudo rider. He nearly fell off the other side, but she caught him with an arm, holding him steady.

"Thank you." Link said.

The Gerudo shook her head. "No, thank you. You gave us the time we need to escape."

Link didn't reply. He couldn't believe he had done it. He would be a fugitive now for sure. But how could he ally himself with the Hylians after all the merciless bloodthirsty acts he had seen from them. What about Aruthia? She had made some bad choices, but she did not deserve to die like that, while trying to make some sort of peace. But she had been killed in cold blood by a Hylian general, as were several other gerudos.

"Where are we going?" Link asked.

"I was going to take you to our camp; you sure won't be welcome here anymore. But I can drop you off on the way if you'd like." She said.

Link shook his head. "You're right. I'll go with you." He said, thinking about the song in Lon-Lon ranch. He would have to come back when the fuss died down. He knew Talon wouldn't turn him in.

The rode towards one of the large, rocky faces that separated Hyrule Field from Hyrule desert, passing many Gerudos who were on foot. As far as Link knew, the only way in was through Gerudo Valley, but of course the deserters could hardly stroll right through. They rode along the wall for a while, until suddenly the Gerudo stopped, and dismounted. Link did the same.

"Umm… no offence, but we can't really trust you completely yet. Could you put this on, just so you don't know how to get in?" The Gerudo said tentatively. Link shrugged and took the blindfold she offered. He tied it over his head, and turned around. Ten seconds later the Gerudo took off the blindfold. There was an archway in the formerly stone wall, leading into the desert. She led him through it.

They set off through the desert. "My name is Liana. I was the second in command before…" She said, breaking off at the end. She took a breath, and asked "What is your name?"

Link wondered if he should tell her, but decided he just didn't care anymore. "Link."

"Link? Have to say, never heard THAT name before. Anyway Link, I have to warn you. I can't guarantee that you will be forgiven after everything at the ranch. I'll vouch for you, I never agreed to what we did at the ranch anyway. But you have to know you aren't home free yet." Liana said.

Link nodded. He had already figured that. He took a swig of his red potion. He was still thirsty as hell, made worse by the dry heat of the desert, but it gave him some energy. It almost seemed to make his thirst worst somehow.

Several minutes later, he began to feel light headed. He stumbled, and heard Liana's voice call his name, but it sounded far away. He fell in the sand, and grayed out. He was dimly aware of Liana slinging him over her shoulder, still calling his name. Everything went blank again for a while, but he slipped back into semi-consciousness to feel himself being dumped on something soft. Liquid was poured in his mouth, and he gagged and sputtered. He couldn't breathe for a few seconds, but some of it slid down his throat. He slipped out of consciousness again for some unknown length of time before coming back, for good this time. He sat up, and noticed a jug of cool water nearby. He picked it up, and chugged a lot, quickly. It felt clean and cool, but suddenly he started coughing. He put it down and spat a bunch up, but managed not to puke. He then had a bit more, forcing himself to drink slowly.

He was in a tent, on some soft cloth. A Gerudo poked her head in. "You're awake. We weren't sure how badly off you were. You were very dehydrated, and a bit beat up in places." She said.

"Story of my life." Link muttered, crawling towards the entrance. The Gerudo raised a hand to stop him.

"I wouldn't come out here. Some of us are very pissed at you right now, and if they knew where you were they'd tear you limb from limb. Liana, several of the people you rescued, including me, and some of the council are trying to restore peace for you. Just relax here for now." She said, heading back out.

Link sighed and lay back. He drained the rest of his red potion, and lay back for some sleep.

When he awoke, it was very cold and dark out. Someone had thrown a blanket over him. He felt considerably better, although with his thirst out of the way he realized he was pretty hungry too. He stuck his head out of the tent. He was in the middle of no where, although he could just barely make out the glow if a fire a long way away. There was a small fire nearby with three gerudos around it. One of them saw him, and walked over.

"Well, a decision was made." She said. "You are to be tested, starting tomorrow. If you pass them all, the people have agreed to accept you."

"But… I wasn't going to stay here!" Link said.

"Oh? Where were you going to go? Someone checked out Hyrule Market. There are already wanted posters, quite a bounty on your head. Treason, and you're considered very dangerous." She said.

Link couldn't argue. He couldn't believe all the stuff that had happened. Jarmania had never seemed so far from his mind. He had almost forgotten there was a war at all. He wondered how the Royal knights were doing. No doubt they will have thought he had abandoned them by now.

"What's the first test, then?" Link asked. He was feeling better, but he was still worried about his current abilities.

"A few simple combat tests. There will be something each day for three days. I don't know what the second is, but a special training ground is being set up for the final day." She replied.

Link nodded. "Anything I can eat?" he asked.

She nodded and went over to the fire. She came back with a plate which had dried, salted meat, some slightly stale bread, and vegetables that seemed a bit dry. Link took it gratefully.

"It isn't great, but don't think its prisoner food. You aren't a prisoner. Food is always pretty bad once it gets out here." She explained.

Link nodded, and ate greedily. The meat was tough, but it had a nice, salty flavour. The other stuff was pretty bad, but he had eaten worse. He chased it down with some water. "I'm going to get some more sleep." He said.

"We'll wake you up for your test." She said. Link nodded, and crawled back into the tent.

True to her word, she woke him up early that morning. He ate and drank a bit more, than changed into another green tunic. His old one was getting pretty dirty. He strapped his sword and shield back on; they had been lying beside his makeshift bed. He then emerged from the tent, stretching.

The Gerudo led him towards where the fire had been last night. It was a village, with giant tents and a couple of small stone buildings. Several Gerudos were milling about, and some eyed him with hatred, some with mistrust, and some impassively. Liana walked over to him.

"Did anyone tell you what's happening?" She asked. He nodded.

"Good. Three combat tests were worked out. I think its stupid, and won't prove how trustworthy you are. I think you already did that. But the people have spoken. First, it's you against our most prized warrior, anything goes. We'll give you a dull sword, but she will be using real weapons. No shield, either." Liana explained, leading him to a ring drawn in the sand. Another Gerudo was on the other side, with a scimitar.

A sword was handed to Link, and his was taken along with his shield. It was metal, but rounded. More like a pole on a hilt. Not very easy to wield, either. Gerudos had begun to gather around the ring, to watch the fight. Link gauged his strength. He was feeling better now with some sleep, but his muscles were still achy in places.

He was guided into the ring. There was a solid wall of Gerudos around it now. Another Gerudo gave some short speech to the crowd, but Link wasn't listening. She rang a bell, and suddenly the other Gerudo leapt forward, amid cheers.

Link leapt back, parrying it. He swung out but she dodged. He ducked to avoid a thrust, stabbing back. She sidestepped and slashed sideways towards his neck. He rolled to the side under her swing, leaping to his feet with a spin attack. She flipped backward. The crowd was chanting her name, which sounded like "Ramruthia" or something. Link used a jump attack, but she blocked it. Their swords locked, him pushing down, her up. He kicked her in the stomach, ending it, and followed up with a swing. He had misjudged the distance however, and missed. She jumped in the air and used the Gerudo version of a spin attack, which Link had seen when he had freed the carpenters many years ago. He rolled forward and she landed behind him. He used a spin attack, but she put her scimitar over her shoulder and blacked, spinning to face him when his attack was done.

They fought back and forth for a while. Link felt himself tiring, but kept it up. The Gerudos cheered for her mostly, although some clapped when he dodged or attacked particularly well. He considered a magic attack, but that probably wouldn't go over too well. Instead, he used his magic to enhance his dexterity and strength. He jumped to the side, rolling and jumping up with a slash. As soon as he landed he stabbed, but she stepped back. He ran a few paces back, and got an idea. He knew the Gerudos fairly well, and they would not fall for a trap. But they would accept a challenge. He sheathed his "sword." It didn't fit in his scabbard, but there were a couple of loops in his shield belt he tucked it into. The Gerudo cocked her head.

"You don't think I'm going to fall for that, do you?" She asked.

"No. But I bet I could draw it and hit you before you hit me." Link said, hands at his side.

She rasied an eyebrow. The crowd muttered. She smiled. "Sounds like a challenge." She said, stepping forward with her sword raised. Link didn't move. He carefully watched her arm muscles, knowing he would see it there first. Suddenly they tensed, and Link moved. With the aid of his magic, he drew his sword and spun with blinding speed, bringing it up and hitting her on the side of the head and knocking her down. All of this happened in the time it took her scimitar to travel half of the distance to his head.

The crowd gasped, and many clapped. The Gerudo on the ground looked up at him, a bit dazed. The side of her head was bruising, but Link had pulled back a bit before he hit her, so she was ok. She got to her feet, and extended her hand. "That was fast. I admit I'm impressed." She said.

Some of the Gerudo were unhappy. "Does that count!?" Someone shouted.

The one who had ringed the bell nodded, saying "The rules were 'anything goes.' How he won doesn't matter."

Link's sword and shield was brought to him. He gave them the pole. Liana found him, and gave him some water.

"Good job. This afternoon, you have to fight someone in unarmed combat," She said, "How good are you at that?"

"Not good." Link said. It was true. Although he had trained somewhat, he rarely used it.

"Well, get good. You're opponent is no pushover. Now go get some rest. And watch your back. You still have several enemies here." She said seriously.

Link nodded, and wandered off to have a look around.

**AN: This is my least favourite chapter thus far, don't know why. I couldn't get it right… maybe you can tell me. Please review, and be as brutally honest as possible.**


	13. Trials and Error

**AN: Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Yeah, sure, blame the review button… just kidding. Thanks for the review; I just really hate that chapter for some reason.**

**Spiritual Stone: There is going to be a point to it that will be very relevant to the plotline. Well, there are my excuses for today… Thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: You assumed correctly. Love constructive criticism. But if you don't have any, I must have done SOMETHING right. I suppose he would have saved the Gerudos because he's got a sense of righteousness that's too strong for his own good. He was vicious when they took the ranch, but in his eyes what that general dude did was just as bad. At least, that's sort of how I envision it. Thanks for the review.**

"Get him!" Link heard. He spun suddenly to see a club inches from his face. He raised his arm and deflected it, feeling a sharp pain. He kicked out, knocking his assailant back, drawing his sword and shield and falling into a fighting stance. There were two Gerudos, but they fled as soon as he drew his weapons. He didn't pursue them.

He sheathed his weapons and stood up straight. He had been exploring for several hours, and gotten a lot of dirty looks. That was the first attack though. He had gotten something to eat and drink, and was wandering back towards where the first challenge had been. Population-wise, the village was quite small, about half a thousand people. But they were spread out over a large distance, stretching from an oasis to the most barren reaches of the desert. Where he had fought was fairly filled with people, the ones out here usually were here for jobs like hunting leevers and getting water. Link had been surprised to hear they actually ate leevers, but he had tried some at lunch and it was better than the dried meat he had had last night.

He was approaching the main village. He assumed his next challenge would be in the same ring. He checked out his arm to make sure it wasn't badly hurt. He was amazed it wasn't broken. Not the first time he had shown extreme resilience, however. He walked up to the ring, and just hung around it. Eventually Liana showed up, and said "Good, you're here. Your opponent will be here soon. I'll take your weapons."

Link handed his sword and shield over, as well as his pouch of equipment. He stretched his arms up high, and fell on the ground to do a few pushups. "Seriously what are my odds of winning?" Link asked.

"Honestly? Unless you are a lot better than you let on, not good." She said.

Link said nothing. He knew he wasn't that good at unarmed combat… but his silver gauntlets should even the playing field. He had opted for the silver because the gold ones were too hard to control, and he didn't want to make it obvious. He had slipped them on before he had met Liana and given her his stuff. He picked up a pebble and crushed it with some effort.

Several minutes later, a crowd had gathered. His opponent had also shown up. This Gerudo really stood out however, as her hair was jet black. Link hadn't known that was possible, and was wondering if she had coloured it somehow. Overall, she didn't look like a typical Gerudo. He also noticed she was wearing gauntlets like him, also with metal. It wasn't silver, but steel plates like that would hurt. She was wearing usual Gerudo clothing, which was designed for hot weather. That also led clothing here to be very revealing, another fact Link couldn't help but notice. This gerudo also had metal plates strapped to her knees and elbows.

Link turned sideways and crouched, minimizing himself as a target. He had taught himself everything he knew, picking up tips here and there, and unarmed combat was no exception. His balled his hands into fists, raising them protectively. He knew better than to hold back just because they were women; they were some of the best fighters around. Better than him sometimes.

Gerudos usually made the first move, but this one didn't. She waited for him patiently, looking calm and serene. Link approached, circling. She circled as well, both of them sizing each other up. Finally, Link struck, stepping in and punching. She side stepped him easily, and brought her knee up. The metal plate caught him in the gut and he doubled up. She kicked out with her other foot, catching him in the forehead. He fell back. She raised her foot, and Link noticed several tiny spikes on the underside. She raised her foot over a potentially VERY painful place. Link moved quickly, rolling to the side. She slammed it down as he got to his feet. He punched again, but she ducked in and ran several paces back. AS soon as she stopped, she launched herself at him in a flying tackle. Link ducked low and she sailed clean over him onto her stomach. She rolled onto her back, and kicked up at him as he approached. He grabbed her foot, and using his enhanced strength he spun, lifting her off the ground and throwing her behind him.

She landed with on "oof!" and got to her feet shakily. Link kicked a bunch of sand into her face. She blinked several times, coughing, and he moved in. He punched her in the head, being sure to pull the punch, and then swept her feet out from under her with a kick. She fell like a sack of potatoes. He stepped back, letting her get up. This wasn't a real fight, no point in getting too serious.

She got to her feet with surprising speed, and came at him. He raised his arms and blocked on punch, but she got in several more. She hit him again and again, and he fell to his knees. She kneed him in the face with her metal plate, and he tasted blood, hot and metallic in his mouth. She brought her elbow down on his back and he fell on his stomach, coughing. She knelt down and wrapped her hands around his throat, squeezing. Link coughed and tried to inhale, but couldn't get any air. She squeezed tighter. He gagged, then reached up and grabbed an arm, and managed to fling her forward onto her back. He got to his feet, gripping his throat and coughing.

She was back on her feet. Link stepped forward and threw a clumsy punch. Luckily for him, she grabbed his fist instead of dodging. He broke her grip by simply uncurling his fist thanks to the gauntlets, and grabbed her wrist with his other hand. He spun her around, twisting the arm, and pushed her onto her stomach, bending her arm up awkwardly. She kicked back at him, and he dug his knee into her back. Eventually, she surrendered in that position.

Link got up, releasing her. She got to her feet. "You fight well… self-taught, are you?"

Link nodded. "As am I," she said, "My name is Sonia."

"Link. I didn't know Sonia was a Gerudo name." Link said.

She laughed. "Look at me, I'm not a Gerudo. I'm Hylian, like you."

Link was surprised. "Really? Why are you here?"

"I guess I defected. I disagree with how the Hylians are treating the Gerudo." She said. "What about you?"

"I'm wanted. Treason. I figured this would be a good place to hide out for a while." Link answered.

Liana approached as Sonia walked off. "Surprised to see another Hylian? I would have told you before, but people thought you might hold back if you knew." She said.

Link shrugged. His mind was wandering to his quest. Two more temples, and here he was wasting time in a camp full of traitors. He needed to visit the ranch… but he had a feeling in his gut he needed to complete these tests. "What's next?" Link asked.

"Do you know any archery?" Liana asked. Link nodded.

"Good. I managed to convince the council against some kind of combat for today's last test. Simple target shooting. You against our best archer, of course." Liana explained.

Link nodded. His archery skills had never been on par with his sword fighting, but he was fairly confident. After learning to shoot off of Epona, he could shoot pretty much anything. He asked Liana when it would be.

"After dinner, as the sun touches the horizon over there. I'll meet you at the fighting ring." She said. Link nodded, and said bye, walking off to practice archery.

He drew his bow, aiming out into the desert. He picked a cactus, one of the few out in Hyrule Desert. He nocked an arrow, raising the bow. He brought it level with his eyes, and fired. The arrow shot away, piercing the cactus near the edge. He ran over to collect the arrow, which was undamaged.

He practiced for a long time, brushing up. He was a little bit rusty, but nothing major. He rushed a dinner later, and headed to the ring. Liana was already waiting for him, and brought him to a place a little away from the village. A small crowd had gathered here. He could see a target way out in the desert. It was going to be tricky. A slight wind had picked up and was starting to blow sand around. Visibility would be poor.

His opponent was undoubtedly Gerudo. She had a shortbow like him. A Gerudo stepped forward and began explaining the rules.

"You both take five shots. The target has five rings. The middle is a hundred points. The one around that is fifty. Then twenty five. The fourth is ten. The final is zero. Missing the target docks you twenty five points. Whoever has the most points after the five shots wins. Simple enough." She explained.

There was a piece of rope laid out to mark the line they stood at. Link planted his feet at the rope. His opponent did the same. Link drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. The other Gerudo told him to shoot first. He didn't argue, but instead raised his bow, pulling the string taut. He squinted through the blowing sand, compensating for the wind. He released, and the arrow flew.

"Fifty points!" The Gerudo in charge called as it thudded on the second ring.

His opponent raised her bow. She launched an arrow, and it thudded right on the edge of the second ring and the center. The one running the show walked closer, squinting.

"One hundred points!" The Gerudo called, to much applause. Link readied another arrow. He envisioned a crosshair in his mind, one of those abilities he had noticed over the years. He again compensated for the wind, and shot.

It thudded on the third ring. Link cursed mentally. "Twenty five points!" The Gerudo called.

The other Gerudo shot again. Another Bulls-eye. Link took his third shot. His first bulls-eye. The Gerudo took her third, scoring 50 points.

Link: 175

Gerudo: 250

Link readied his fourth shot. It launched through the air, but its course was altered by a sudden burst of wind and he only scored twenty five again. The wind was raging now, and there was talk of a sandstorm. The other Gerudo shot, scoring fifty. Link prepared his last shot, aiming carefully….

There was a shriek from the crowd. A Gerudo fell dead, an arrow in her neck. Link squinted into the blowing sand. The wind was howling now, but he heard hooves over it. His eyes widened, and he fired into the blowing sand. A small army was charging, presumably atop camels. Link couldn't make out who they were through the sand. He didn't see if his arrow hit. More arrows came out of the sand, and he heard more Gerudos behind him getting hit. They scattered, running towards the village.

Link turned to join them, but was hit from behind by something heavy.

His vision blurred, and he fell to the sand. He managed to hold onto consciousness, and rolled onto his back. Shapes that he couldn't quite make out were approaching. One of them yelled something. The other shouted something back, and they called a third person over. The third person was carrying a flask of something, and he bent over Link.

Link kicked up, his focus returning. He knocked the person back, and started to get up. The other two jumped on him, holding him down. The one with the flask had recovered, and brought it to Link's mouth. He forced his head back, and poured some of the liquid in. It was warm and foul tasting. He tried to cough it up, but the man put his hand over his mouth and forced it to stay in there. He swallowed some, and felt instant drowsiness. They let him go, and he lay down on the sand, drifting into a deep sleep.

**Not much to this chapter. Let me assure you all this DOES have a point to the plot, as you will see in another couple of chapters. Well, Please review. I got three last chapter, which isn't bad, but I'd like to see more… preferably with tips.**


	14. Captured

**AN: My computer is giving me the virtual finger again. I don't think it's a virus this time, just the overall crappiness of it. Don't worry though; I can obviously still update this. Just thought I'd share that… **

**Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the review, wish I was updating faster but I just don't have the time.**

**ZombieDragon: Thanks for the chapter names. I used one, hope you don't mind. As for the temples, he'll get around to it… in another couple of chapters. About the other POVs, I hadn't forgotten. In fact, this chapter is devoted to them.**

**Spiritual Stone: You're right; shortening things would have been the way to go. I have no real excuses. I changed my entire plan partway through, and it was too late to cut off what I had written. Thanks for the review!**

A couple days earlier, in Hyrule castle…

"General Gorman has reported back from the ranch. He brings troubling news." A messenger stated.

Elisa sighed. She was staring out a window in the castle, in the lounge reserved for members of the war council. The messenger stood in the doorway behind her. She waited for him to continue.

"He says that the ranch has been recaptured, but the deserters escaped." The messenger continued.

"How?" Elisa asked, not really caring. As long as they had the ranch, the rabble of traitorous Gerudos didn't matter.

"That's the trouble. Link let them escape. In fact, he helped them. According to the general, as soon as he was freed he put a knife to the general's throat. The army had no choice but to watch the deserters escape. One of them picked up Link and so he escaped too. We tried to follow, but lost them somewhere over the field." He replied.

Elisa spun around. "Link? Link betrayed the Hylians? That can't be right. I saw him in Jarmania. He was devoted to the people of Hyrule. Too virtuous for his own good, in fact. Could the general be mistaken?"

The messenger shook his head. "The king has put a bounty on his head. He told me to inform you, as you may want to adjust your plans against Jarmania accordingly. Permission to take my leave?"

"Granted." Elisa said, sitting down. He turned and left. She couldn't believe it. Link could have no possible reason to do what he did. There had to be more to it.

Elisa stood up. She couldn't let him be caught until she had learned the truth. Perhaps confiding in Zelda would be smart. She had somehow sensed that Zelda didn't really like her much, but Zelda knew Link better than her. Besides, she would probably have the same doubts Elisa did.

Elisa left the lounge, heading downstairs. She had gained the trust of the Royal Family despite a somewhat shaky start, and she was treated just as any other Hylian. She was free to roam the castle; she had a steady paycheck, a position of power, and a place to live.

Zelda was in the courtyard again. She spent a lot of time there, reading, practicing magic, or just sitting and staring. Elisa entered the area looking around at the flowers, ponds, and the bright sky above. Zelda was sitting and leaning back, now looking at Elisa.

Elisa bowed slightly. Zelda smiled, and stood up. It was a smile concealing a troubled mind. "I suppose you've heard?" Zelda asked.

Elisa nodded. "I figured you were the only one besides me who might doubt it. You know Link better than me… do you know where he would go?"

Zelda replied, "If I were him, I'd return to Kokiri Forest. He would be safe from the outside world. But he was seen going the other way, and he doesn't always make the smartest choices. I actually have a way to find him for sure… you wouldn't be opposed to acting behind my father's back a bit?"

Elisa shook her head. Zelda smiled a bit, sitting down again. She unfolded a map of Hyrule and laid it out in front of her, holding a quill over it. "I'm going to track the piece of the triforce dwelling within him. Don't worry if I stop responding. Just make sure no one comes."

Elisa nodded. Zelda held the quill in her right hand, her left resting on the ground, palm flat. The triforce on the back began to glow, pulsing. He eyes rolled back in her head, and she closed them. He hand twitched and shook, and she lowered the quill onto the map, right on the castle where they were now. With spastic, jerking motions, she began drawing a line. It led shakily up the field to the west, through the mountains at the edge of the field, and into the desert. She drew a dot suddenly, and snapped to it. Elisa looked down at the map.

"They took him to the desert? Is he a prisoner?" She asked.

Zelda shook her head. "Didn't look like it. I have to see for myself… are you coming with me?"

Elisa nodded. "So all we do is follow the map, and that takes us to Link?" She asked.

Zelda nodded. "As long as he doesn't move. We should get going, in case he does. I'll check again later."

With that, the both headed for the courtyard exit. They stopped short in surprise, however, when the king stepped into their view.

"Father!" Zelda gasped, still holding the map.

He looked at them kindly, and said "I heard what you said. If your map is correct, you have saved us a lot of time."

Zelda shook her head fiercely. "We need to see Link first. You know what he has sacrificed for Hyrule. How can you turn your back on him so quickly?"

"Ever since he was first caught by the deserters he has been trouble. Give me the map, Zelda!" The king said, raising his voice.

She tried to run past, but he reached out and snagged the map. Two guards who had been waiting in the background grabbed Elisa as she jumped forward. Another grabbed Zelda before she could take the map back.

"Elisa had nothing to do with it. Let her go." Zelda said.

"Very well… only because you're my daughter." The king said. "Let that one go. Take Zelda to the dungeons for now."

The guards saluted, doing as they were told.

The king looked at Elisa. "Well? Get out of here, surely you have some meetings or something."

She bowed, and withdrew. She ran upstairs, angrily. The king had changed recently… the war was taking its toll. She sat in the lounge, collapsing against a wall. She had no idea what to do next, but wait and watch.

Several kilometers away, on the Blood Fields…

"Fall back!!! Back to the mountain pass!!!" screamed the Hylian general. Agraros and his group was fending off the enemies up front while the soldiers behind fled. This whole time the Jarmanians had been assembling an army, and now they were taking the fields in one decisive strike. The Hylians were driven back all over, towards Hyrule.

Agraros spun and thrust his two swords through a soldier. And where was Link? He wasn't supposed to be gone this long. Did this have something to do with the civil war? Wouldn't matter soon. The desert would be a great natural defense, but sooner or later they would fond the way. The Gerudo fortress would fall first. They would flood across the valley, infesting the fields. A constant siege against the castle would eventually fell Hyrule.

Most of the soldiers had escaped into the pass. Agraros called his knights back, and they fled as well. The enemies stopped to regroup outside the pass, letting them go. Agraros sighed, and they slowed down before coming out into the desert. He looked around. The knights were exhausted, and they had lost two more out there. Plus, Kyra, who had been causing all the trouble, had been badly wounded. She was up ahead on a stretcher with the bulk of the army, and likely wouldn't survive.

They gathered around the Hylian general. He decided to retreat to Hyrule. They would do no good fighting in the desert. Let them lose some troops first. So began their journey back to Hyrule…

Link arrived at the castle the next day. Elisa watched him be carried in, slumped over a horse unconscious. A soldier dragged him into the castle, and he was brought to the dungeons. Elisa didn't have time to dwell on it though. She turned and entered the council room. The other three were chatting around the table, but they quieted after she sat down.

"Any reports yet?" Elisa asked.

"Not for a week now." Jerry Swanson replied.

Cecilia asked, "What do we do?"

Elisa shrugged. "I don't know, and I won't until we get an updated report. You people know Hyrule better than me. Do you have anything? I've seen magic, don't you have a secret weapon or something?" she asked, clutching at straws now.

Kip shrugged. Cecilia however looked thoughtful, and said "There is one legend. You have to understand, in Hyrule most legends are truthful, which I know is rare in other lands. It tells of the Hero of Time. Many believe wholeheartedly that he exists, ever since an incident that occurred two years ago. A powerful dark wizard took control of Hyrule, enslaving the people. He seemed impossible to kill; no matter what was tried he would survive. His armies of monsters infested the land, and all hope in the hero faded… but one day the wizard vanished. His castle was found crumbled, his monsters died off or fled, the evils he cast over the land faded. That was it. Gradually we took control, and he hasn't shown himself since. Everything was still around and restored, and Hyrule was back to normal within a year… just in time to engage in this war."

Elisa listened attentively. Link had mentioned something like this on their way to Hyrule, but he had been vague on the details. "So, you believe this hero did it?" Elisa asked.

"It's not just a belief. The king informed his most trusted people, and the original war council was in on it. He confirmed there was a hero, although he had to keep the identity a secret, and he never told us that. He said something about the hero appearing, but being sent back in time to relive life. I don't know, it was confusing. But it can be assumed if Hyrule has any hope, its all in the hero of time, who is out there still." Cecilia said.

Elisa nodded. "I don't believe our trust should be placed in this hero… but there is nothing to do now, no matter how you look at it. We will meet again next time a report arrives. Dismissed."

Link awoke in a cold, dark cell. He was lying on damp earth, and got to his feet quickly. His first thought was the coliseum, but it was different. He walked to the door, looking out. He was shocked and worried to see Zelda in the cell across from him. She looked up at him, and ran to the door of her cell quickly.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed.

Link nodded. "Where are we?" He asked.

"Under Hyrule castle." She replied.

"That's what I thought until I saw you here."

"I and my father had a… disagreement."

This surprised Link. "He sent you to the dungeon? I can't believe it."

Zelda nodded. "Yes. But that's not important. I almost forgot. Remember that gem you brought to me, a long time ago? I looked into it. I searched the hall of records, looking at legends, whatever I could. It seems to resemble a summoning stone."

Link tilted his head questioningly. She continued, "Essentially, its only power is that useless magical pulse. The one that hurt me. The more sensitive to magic you are, the harder you feel it. There is one record telling of a summoning done with the same type of rock. The story says that they accidentally summoned a small, vengeful spirit. It created chaos, but eventually faded away. This village branched off and became its own tribe, excelling in necromancy and evoking spirits, and gems like these were their primary tools. They were eventually destroyed, no doubt summoning something too strong."

"So, you think Jarmania is doing the same?" Link asked.

"They knew enough about the stone to protect it. I think that seems likely. I wonder how they could have learned about this though…" She said.

Before Link could say anything, they heard footsteps. Several Hylian guards were coming down the hall. They opened Link's cell door, roughly pulling him out. "You are to be tried immediately." One of them stated coldly, tying his hands up and guiding up towards the stairs. Link went along, biding his time. He had a definite reason to escape now, and whatever happened, he would get out of here.

**AN: Link was barely in that one. Pity… please review.**


	15. The Second Song

**AN: Heh. This… took a while. I had problems continuing this story, but thanks to some recent reviews I managed to continue. Let me know how it is.**

"Link… you are here today under charges of treason." The voice of the judge called out. Link had been brought to a courtyard, completely walled in, with only one exit through a locked door. He was on a small wooden platform, in a chair with iron shackles over his arms and legs. They sure weren't taking any chances. The judge was standing on a podium opposite him, going on and on about treason or whatever. There was an audience, standing around watching him. The king wasn't present. Coward.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?" The judge said, snapping Link back from his thoughts. Link just gave him a cold, cold stare. The judge actually recoiled a bit from his piercing blue eyes, but gathered himself rather well.

"Very well then. The audience has heard the facts, they will now vote on your fate." The judge said, "All who think he's innocent raise your hand.

Very few hands went up. Link was surprised there were any at all.

"Guilty?" The judge said. The rest of the hands went up.

"The crowd has spoken. Link, you are hereby sentenced to death in three days time." The judge said.

But Link wasn't listening. He was looking in the crowd. For a brief second, he saw someone he knew, but the crowd blocked his vision.

The shackles were unlocked, and he was commanded to stand. Four guards surrounded him, each one with a weapon trained on him. He was led back into the castle, and into the cell.

Zelda watched the guards leave, and then turned to Link. "What happened?"

"They're going to try and kill me in a few days." Link said with a shrug.

Zelda gasped. "Link… that's…"

"Forget it. Is there anything else you can tell me about the Jarmanians' plan?" Link asked.

"I don't think so. The real question is where they're getting these stones from…" Zelda said.

"We sent a spy, but he never returned." Link said.

They sat in silence for the rest of the night. They talked very little during the next couple of days, neither one having much to say. On the final night before his execution, Link had another dream.

"_Hero... do not give up your quest. You will not die tomorrow. You will get a chance to escape. When you do, go to the ranch. There is a secret room under the house. You will find it."_ _Link was again standing on nothing, and that was what the voices said._

Before he could say anything, he awoke again. The sun had just risen, and a guard was outside of his cell.

"Link? It's time. Follow us." They said, opening the cell.

Link stood, stretched, and headed out. They tied his arms behind his back, and led him out. They brought him out behind the castle, to the gallows. There was another crowd gathered around, waiting. Link was shoved up the steps, standing near the noose. It was tied loosely around his neck, and he was pushed to stand near the edge.

The executioner began a speech. So many speeches to kill a man. Link watched the audience. He thought he saw someone he knew again, but he blinked and there was no one.

Suddenly the speech ended, and a slow, somber beat was played on a drum. Two men stepped up to push Link off the edge and to his death. One of them gave a shove, and he fell forward…

There was a thud, and he hit the ground safely. The noose was around his neck, but it had broken off. He looked up to see an arrow embedded on the back pole holding the noose in place. It had cut the rope.

Link wasted no time. He ran forward, his arms still tied behind his back. Agraros and Kasha both leaped out from the crowd, Kasha running over to Link and Agraros heading off to block the guards. Kasha put her bow away, and untied him. He thanked her, and they ran for it. A guard stepped in his way, and he leaped into the air, delivering a kick to the man's face. He fell and Link hit the ground rolling.

Kasha and Agraros joined him. They all ran around to the side of the castle. The guards were running up behind, but both Agraros and Kasha were wearing much lighter armour, and the three were able to run faster.

Agraros and Kasha's horses were up ahead. They both hopped on, Agraros pulling Link up behind him. They took off, riding across the front of the castle. The guards there were too surprised to do anything.

They rode through the market, people diving out of the way. They galloped across the bridge, and out onto the field. When the town began to fade from vision and they were sure no one had been able to follow, they slowed down.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"You haven't heard? It's over. The fields are theirs. We had to pull back. We heard about you, and we knew you had a good reason because we know you. So here we are." Kasha explained.

"We lost the fields…" Link repeated.

"Yes, but don't worry. The spirit sage has a plan." Agraros said.

"Nabooru? What's she going to do?" Link asked.

"The desert. Plenty dangerous on its own, but the sage of spirit has control over the spirits passing into the afterlife. She can summon the spirits of soldiers who died in this war." Agraros explained.

Link was surprised. "Isn't that necromancy?"

"A form of it. It is dangerous, but it will keep them from navigating through the desert." Kasha answered.

"Dangerous how?" Link asked, feeling like he knew nothing.

"Summoning the dead is dangerous. If she makes a mistake, and summons a vengeful spirit that is beyond her control, it will kill her." Kasha explained.

Link didn't like it, but it was beyond his control. So instead of pursuing the problem, he told them that he had to get to the ranch. They agreed to take him there.

When they arrived, Agraros and Kasha asked him what he was doing.

"I can't tell you. It is very important, but I must do it alone." Link said.

Agraros nodded. "Here, we got your stuff." He said, handing Link his sword, shield, and pack of equipment. Link took it gratefully, and said good bye.

The two of them rode off while Link turned to enter the ranch. He stepped inside, looking around. He didn't know whether to find Talon, or keep his search a secret. Why couldn't the goddesses just tell him exactly where it was? Somewhere under their house…

Talon suddenly opened the door. "Link! You're alive! Did they let you go, or…?"

Link said nothing. "I see… is there anything I can do for ya'?" Talon asked.

Link nodded. "Do you have a cellar?

"O' course! We need somewhere to put stuff! Why?" Talon replied.

"Mind if I have a look down there?" Link asked.

"No, go right ahead. It's just over here." Talon said, showing Link a trap door.

Link thanked him, climbing down the ladder inside. He looked around, finding himself in an ordinary cellar. He searched the place top to bottom, looking at everything. Talon respected his space, and left him alone down there. He finally gave up, collapsing to the ground. He took his left gauntlet off to scratch an itch, and noticed his triforce mark was glowing dimly. He stood up suddenly, looking at it. He turned, and it got dimmer. He blinked, and turned the other way. It got a little brighter. He stepped forward, and it got brighter still. He continued forward until he reached a wall. He brushed away the dust, and noticed a tiny triforce carved into the wall, about as big as a thumbnail. He raised his hand to it, facing the triforce on the back of his hand to it. It shot out a tiny beam of light into the carving, which began glowing brightly.

Behind him, he heard a very quiet rumbling. A small section of floor was retracted, revealing a hole into a small room below. Without hesitating, he dropped down inside.

As soon as he landed, the room was illuminated by several torches. He was in the beginning of a long, empty hallway. At the very end there looked to be an open room with a chest.

Just as Link thought things were going to be easy for a change, every trap imaginable went off in the hall. Swinging pendulum blades, spiked floors, giant spinning columns covered in blades moving back and forth, jets of flame, floors opening and closing, and more. Link had never seen a more elaborate set-up. The traps seemed to have no real pattern, but they never interfered with each other. The effect was overwhelming, and the thought of going through there brought sweat to his palms.

But he had too. He figured as long as he took it slow, he might make it. He stepped in, dodging a spear from the wall and rolling under a jet of flame. He hopped over a bunch of spikes that suddenly burst out in front of him. As soon as he landed he had to duck to avoid another jet of flame from higher up. He stepped forward and hopped to the left to dodge a spinning pillar of spikes.

Just when he thought it might go ok, he heard a rumbling sound. He looked back quickly to see that the far wall was closing in behind him. It was crushing any traps that got in its way, but if it got to Link he would be pushed into something. Link ran forward, dodging a flying arrow from somewhere. He ran around a spear, hopped a jet of flame, and stopped to avoid a pendulum. The traps were moving faster and faster however.

Just when it seemed impossible, his triforce mark glowed again. Suddenly everything slowed down, every trap, the wall, and he was able to react to everything again. He dodged another column, hopped a spike floor, rolled to the side to get off a collapsing floor, and managed to make it to the end where the hall became a large, circular room with a chest. The wall behind him stopped at the room's entrance, blocking the way out.

Link approached the chest, but a voice called out, "So… you seek a second song of the goddesses."

Link spun around to see something rise up from the dirt. It clawed its way up, revealing itself to be a corpse, animated by some black magic. It had bluish flesh, and sunken, red eyes. It had a tangle of black hair obscuring part of its face, which was grinning lopsidedly. It staggered closer to Link, stopping a few paces away. Link drew his sword and shield.

It stopped smiling. "So… you are serious…" It rasped. Without warning, it twirled its hands and two blades appeared there. The weapons were obsidian black, with one foot long, curved blades.

It leaped forward with astonishing speed. It slashed both weapons out, but Link back flipped over the chest, and the creature stuck both blades into the chest. Link hopped on it while it tried to free itself. Link stabbed it in the chest with a sickening squelch. It just laughed at him, walking backward off the blade. Its flesh was unharmed.

"Your weapon is powerful… but I cannot be harmed by any normal weapon. Only the true hero can succeed, you are doomed to fail." It croaked. It grinned slightly again, flipping into the air. Link rolled forward to stay clear of its landing area.

Link rose and spun, defending against its attack. It locked blades with him, its two swords crossed over his sword, pushing. Link's grim blue eyes stared into its bloodthirsty red ones. Link was determined not to resort to his Fierce Deity's mask.

That was when he got the idea. He back flipped, drawing the light medallion. His sword was forged in part by the sages, and he hoped it could channel their power. He flipped the medallion up and slashed it, tapping into the light sage's power. The medallion turned into pure light, and fused with his blade. He stepped forward, his blade glowing brightly, with the light symbol on the side glowing brightest of all. The other symbols were darkened.

He advanced on the corpse, and it slashed at him. His sword slashed through its blades like a hot knife through butter, leaving it holding two useless handles. He held his glowing blade to its throat.

It laughed, a real laugh this time. It sounded human. "Put that away. You win. The treasure is yours." It said, before vanishing into thin air.

Link twirled his sword, and the medallion dropped out of it and onto the floor. He sheathed the blade, scooping up the medallion. He could tell that had taxed his magic power, but it was a useful ability all the same. He just couldn't abuse it.

Putting the medallion away, he stepped up to the chest. He opened it, and reached inside. As expected, he found a stone tablet. The title identified it as the "Ode to Power." He played it, its upbeat notes ringing through the chamber. He committed it to memory before heading back out of the chamber, through the hall that had opened up again and was, thankfully, devoid of traps.

**AN: Well, there you have it. Just so you know, I picture the "Ode to Power" as sounding like the Gerudo Valley background music, cause that's just an awesome tune. Please review!**


	16. Din

**Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks a lot!**

**Simbiot2.0: umm…. Yes?**

**ZombieDragon: Yeah, I had some problems for a while, but it's all good now. I hope. **

**Spiritual Stone: Ugh, spelling mistakes. I'm pretty bad at proofreading my stuff. But I'm glad you liked it. Remember, that shadow thing I made was in a temple, not just guarding a song. I have much better creatures planned for the temples… I think. Maybe I'm just full of myself.**

Link dismounted Epona in Kakariko, and looked up at Death Mountain. At least he already knew exactly where this temple was. He stopped at the shop and bought two red potions and a green potion. He then played the Bolero of Fire, warping into Death Mountain.

Once there, he quickly took the passage into Goron City before his skin peeled off or something. He climbed to the top of the city and left it, about three quarters of the way up the mountain. From here, he began the difficult climb. Luckily the mountain didn't erupt while he was climbing.

About an hour and a half later, he scrambled up to the ledge with the great Fairy's fountain. He entered to fill his other bottle with a fairy, and then exited to finish his climb. It was a short ten minutes to the very top, standing on the edge and looking down into the volcano's fiery depths. It was swelteringly hot up there, and he wiped the sweat off his forehead before drawing the Ocarina of Time.

He played the Ode to Power, and like before the ground rumbled. He crouched low to avoid falling into the pit below. A small red orb appeared over the crater, a few feet from the edge Link was crouching at. Red beams of light arced out from the orb, curving in and crossing each other to create a red portal.

Without hesitating, he stood and jumped out and through the portal.

He burst out the other side, landing on a small bridge across the volcano's crater. He steadied himself, not wanting to fall into the volcano. He was once again in the sacred realm, under the gold sky. The temple was straight ahead, attached the edge of the volcano by a thin bridge Link was standing on. Just like in the scrolls.

He walked forward cautiously, remembering the odd coloured lizalfos from before. He stopped at the large platform on which the temple lay. Without warning, an iron knuckle ran out of the temple at him. It was covered in bright red armour, something Link had never seen. He quickly drew his sword and shield as it swung at him. He raised his shield, and was blown back anyway. He slid out onto the bridge, slowly getting to his feet.

The iron knuckle grunted, walking out after him. It barely fit on the bridge, and Link used that to his advantage. He ran at it and leapt into the air, flipping and slashing its helm as he went. He landed behind it and spun to face it. It was off balance, and a firm shove with his shield sent it tumbling into the drink. Link then turned back and entered the temple.

He entered a hall like the one before, this time decorated with statues of Din. He headed up the stairs, only to be ambushed by three more bright red iron knuckles. He back flipped as they all slammed their axes down at him, and countered with a jump attack. His sword made solid contact with the one in the middle, but all he got was a jarring pain in his arm. Their body armour was tougher than a normal iron knuckle.

He took a few hurried steps backward as they approached. One of them leaped forward and swung, and he had to duck to avoid getting beheaded. A small roll backward brought him out of range again. Another came forward, and he to dodge to the side and then jump over the third iron knuckle's axe.

He back flipped and suddenly stood still, sword held out to the side. He stared down the iron knuckles expressionlessly. One of them swung horizontally at him, and he leaped forward onto the axe blindingly fast. He hopped from the axe onto its shoulders in a millisecond, bringing his sword in from the side and stabbing right through its helmet and out he other side. It swayed, and began to fall. Before it did he hopped over onto another iron knuckle, burying his sword in the top of its skull this time. He tried to hop to the third, but it raised its axe and batted him out of the air with the blunt side of it, breaking his rhythm.

He rolled as he hit the ground, getting to his feet. He felt confident in now that he had taken out the first two. He was the Hero of Time, and he would not be denied. It slammed its axe down at him but he stepped to the side and the axe was embedded in the floor. Link ran up the hilt, dodging its other hand as it tried to swipe him off. He rammed his sword through its face and hopped over it, leaving his sword embedded there. He stepped to the side as it fell backward, and then wrenched his sword free. There was no blood.

He twirled his sword and sheathed it, smiling slightly. He couldn't help but enjoy a good fight, as much as he liked to pretend otherwise. He headed up the stairs the led to the main chamber as before. He entered cautiously, remembering the swarm of lizalfos last time. He entered to see lots of iron knuckles, as he had expected. However, none of them were moving, just standing stock still holding their axes on the ground with the blade covering their faces. They stood in three rows from the front of the room to the back. He stepped forward cautiously. As quickly as he had taken out those other ones, it really hadn't been easy. He couldn't take out this many at once, there must have been at least thirty.

He walked to the back of the room. There was a locked door like before, but no mirror puzzle this time. There was a chain that was protruding from a hole in the wall beside the door with a pole on the end of the chain. He obviously had to pull it. He removed his silver gauntlets and slid on the gold ones, reserved for jobs like this. He stretched his hands over his head, and gripped the pole, pulling the chain taut. He slid on the iron boots as an afterthought, and planted his feet. He pulled as hard as he could, grunting from the strain. The chain gave a few inches, and he took another step back. He yanked again, pulling it a bit further. He took a deep breath and gave it a huge wrench, and it slid out as far as it would go.

A chime rang out, and the bars over the door slid up. The problem was every iron knuckle also awakened, each one looking around in confusion. Link bolted through the door, deciding to deal with them later. He heard them banging at the solid stone door, but it was impenetrable. He looked around, finding himself in a room with a staircase, like the last temple. He ran down the long staircase into the giant chamber below.

The chamber was almost identical to the Temple of Wisdom one. Huge, with a small altar to Din in the middle. He stepped forward towards it cautiously, remembering the shadow from last time. He walked towards the altar, and nothing happened until he was a few steps away. At that point, a sudden wind kicked up, blowing him back and along the ground. It died down, and he got to his feet in confusion.

Suddenly the altar exploded. At least, that's what it seemed like. When the smoke cleared however, it was still there. In front of it, however, stood a knight. He had a silver helm that covered everything but his slate grey eyes, a bit of black hair, and his mouth. He was about six foot six, much taller than Link. He wielded a short, blue staff in one hand, with a diamond embedded at the top. His other hand held a sword, which curved a bit at the top. He wore silver body armour over a golden tunic, of which only the very bottom and top showed. He had black pants with silver metal bands covering everything but the knee joint. His boots were brown, with a small spike at the toe. He had black gauntlets, with spikes on the knuckles. He was grinning slightly, holding his staff and sword crossed over his chest.

"My name is Chronos. I am a warrior of time, from another dimension. I was told by a man in black armour that there was another time warrior here, and he would come to this chamber. I cannot allow you to exist. Prepare yourself." He said in a monotone voice, which seemed to echo oddly. With that he held both of his weapons out to the side, each one glowing.

Link drew his weapon. He watched his opponent warily. He didn't know what to make of this bizarre entrance. He blinked, and Chronos was gone.

"What the he-" Link began, before being interrupted by a sudden smack to the side of his head. He fell to the side with a yell, and felt something slammed down on him. An instant later Chronos appeared in front of him. He scrambled to his feet.

"Hmm. Disappointing. I expected better from the 'Hero of Time.' This is not going to be any fun." Chronos said, holding his staff up. It pulsed with blue light, and time slowed down. Link included. He tried to dodge, but was too late. Chronos ran at him and dealt three vicious swings with the staff. Link flew back as time returned to normal.

"Do you not have any control over time at all? You are weak." Chronos said. "I guess I should just kill you outright."

With that, he raised his sword and leveled it, with the tip pointing to Link, who had just gotten up. He ran forward, although it looked more like he was gliding. He thrust it forward, aiming for Link's heart…

And hit empty air. Link was behind him, and dealt him a vicious swing with all his strength. Chronos fell forward, rolling to recover. He spun to face Link.

"So you are fast after all… perhaps you are a time warrior. No matter. I am far stronger than you."

He ran forward and swung. Their blades clashed, both of them struggling for strength. Chronos chanted a few syllables, and vanished. Link was ready, and threw on Nayru's love. Hundreds of potentially deadly hits rebounded as if from nowhere off the barrier. Chronos appeared in front of him, panting. Link performed a jump slash, knocking Chronos onto his back. He plunged his sword down at him to finish it, but Chronos slowed time again and dodge easily, dealing a counter strike with his sword. Link managed to revert time to normal through sheer force of will, and blocked with his shield. Chronos hopped back and glared at him with his cold grey eyes. He was done toying with Link.

Link made the first move this time. He charged forward, holding his sword out and charging power to it. He released a deadly spin attack when within range, but Chronos leapt into the air above Link. He seemed to hang there, then shot down with lightning speed and swung his staff at Link's head. Link ducked, and smacked Chronos with his shield as he landed in front of him. Chronos stumbled back, and Link dealt four quick strikes to his armour.

Chronos recovered, and charged Link again. The two battled sword-to-sword furiously, neither gaining the upper hand. That was, until Chronos stepped back and thrust his staff forward, pointing it at Link. The air in front of it blurred suddenly, and Link froze in place. Chronos drew his sword and stabbed forward, aiming for Link's forehead.

Link again reverted time back to normal with a tremendous effort. He ducked the stab, and leapt into the air with a spin attack. Chronos vanished again, appearing a long distance away. He twirled his staff, and dark purple energy gathered there. He jabbed it in Link's direction, and the beam hurled through the air, looking almost liquid. Link rolled to the side, and it slammed into the wall behind him. There was no immediate damage, but the section of wall aged really quickly, rotting away to reveal dirt behind it.

Chronos fired another blast. Link threw his shield up and blocked it, but the wood rotted and the metal warped and twisted away until the shield crumbled into useless dust on the ground. He quickly replaced it with his mirror shield, hoping it wouldn't meet the same fate. He didn't know whether to risk reflecting those blasts with the mirror surface. He jumped suddenly, and another blast hit the floor beneath him. He landed on the ruins of that section. He rolled to the side to avoid another, and he was starting to get frustrated.

Chronos looked bored, which only infuriated Link. He charged forward, shield forward. Chronos sighed and flicked his staff at him again, hurling another purple blast. Link cringed as it hit the shield, but continued running. The blast seemed to have vanished, but he could see the back of the shield pulsing purple faintly. He smiled slightly, still charging forward. Chronos looked mildly puzzled, flinging another one. It was aiming a little low, but it curved up and into the shield. Chronos blinked, charging a larger one and firing it as Link was about ten steps away. It hit the shield, which let off a blinding light and fired a purple beam straight at Chronos, who held his staff out instinctively. The purple energy was absorbed into the staff, which began to rot as well. The blue pole section peeled away and crumbled, and the diamond fell to the ground and shattered.

"NO!" Chronos shouted, his eyes wide. Link was within striking range, and put all his momentum into a swing. Chronos blocked with his sword, staggering back. Link spun and slashed the other way, following with two more slashes and a stab. Chronos dodged each one, and slashed back furiously. Link's triforce flashed again under the gauntlet, and time slowed down for him this time. He ducked the slash, ran up Chronos's chest and flipped into the air, coming down with his sword outstretched. He slashed straight down Chronos's head and ended up crouched with his sword to the ground.

Chronos yelled, rearing his head back. His head began to split apart, crumbling into black dust as it went. The dust swirled through the air, and then suddenly it all converged at one point with a flash of light. Chronos was gone.

Link expertly sheathed his sword. He started to turn toward the altar when suddenly he noticed the part of the wall Chronos had rotted return to normal. So did the floor, and he, was happy to see, his shield. He was rather attached to it, and slid it back into place over his sword, putting away the mirror shield. With that, he strode over to the altar. He reached over to touch the statue of Din that presided over it, like he had in the Temple of Wisdom. SA soon as he touched it, he again had a vision of Din.

She looked much like a Gerudo, with flaming red hair tied back. She wore a revealing, Gerudo like outfit as well.

"You are strong, young warrior. I am in your debt. I will guide you safely back out of the temple. You must free my sister of Earth… You will find her temple on your map, and her song is guarded by the Deku Tree. You must see him." She said, bowing to him. Before he could say anything, the vision failed and he was back in the temple.

He ran up the stairs, opening the door. Unfortunately, he had forgotten the iron knuckles. Two swung at him, and he rolled to avoid it. Din's voice rang through the temple, simply saying "Use my power!"

Link understood instantly, and used Din's Fire. It was magnified tenfold however, the intense heat frying the iron knuckles, fusing their armour into a solid piece with its heat. He calmly proceeded forward, through the hall and out the temple. Luckily, for whatever reason, Ganondorf was not there.

The red portal from earlier appeared ahead, on the thin bridge. He jumped through, hoping he wouldn't appear out the other side only to fall into the magma below.

He didn't. In fact, it let him out at the very bottom of the mountain, near Kakariko. He walked into the village, enjoying the first lucky break he'd had in a while.

**Like it? Hate it? Want me to shut up and get to work on the next chapter? Let me know!**


	17. The Vengeful Guardian

**AN: Here ya' go, hope you enjoy.**

**Responses:**

**Suburbia: Wow, thanks a lot!**

**Spiritual Stone: I corrected Kakariko, thanks for the heads up. I can't believe I misspelled a Zelda word. As for Ganondorf… I don't want to give anything away, but I don't think I can pass up giving him another appearance. Thanks for the review.**

**Simbiot2.0: Glad you think so, I didn't think it was fast paced enough at first… thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: You're right, and I may rewrite it. I actually did rewrite it once, I had injuries and stuff but the rest of the fight sucked, so I redid it. Sadly, I forgot to put any real injuries or anything into it… thanks for the review though!**

Link rode for Kokiri forest the next day, after taking a well deserved break in Kakariko village for the night. He rode along the river past Zora's domain, continuing along the mountains that bordered Hyrule, and into the entrance to the forest. He dismounted Epona before entering, knowing the Kokiri would be frightened by a foreign creature. In fact, he was the only adult allowed in at all as far as he knew.

He jogged through the village, into the path on the opposite side. He ignored the book babas, who uselessly tried to snap at him. He ran out into the giant clearing dominated by the previous Deku Tree's decaying body. He was gradually returning to the earth. Link was more interested in his reincarnation, the small sprout in front of it. It barely came up to Link's shoulders.

He inclined his head as he approached it. It said, "Greetings. What errand brings you back to the forest?"

"I heard you have Farore's song." Link stated.

The Deku Tree clearly knew what he was talking about, as he turned grave suddenly. "I do not know why you would seek it, but these songs are not to be trifled with."

Link nodded. "I know what they are for; I already found the other two. You have to let me find the last."

"I'll have to trust that you know what you are doing. However, the decision is not mine. As a sign of trust, the song was given to the Gerudos for safekeeping, back when they joined the alliance of Hyrule. You would have to enquirer there." The Deku tree informed Link.

Link bowed his thanks, leaving quickly. _Couldn't Din have just told me that? _Link thought impatiently, exiting the forest again.

He arrived in Gerudo valley at sunset, rising up the pass and across the bridge over the valley. He rode into Gerudo valley, digging up his membership card and pinning it to his chest before he arrived. Gerudos were pretty hostile unless you had one of those.

He asked someone where Nabooru was. The Gerudo responded, "Don't know. She headed into the dessert to perform some bit of magic. Stopping the invaders, I think."

Link thanked her. She must have been summoning those spirits. Had she already done it? Didn't matter, really. The problem at hand was that only Nabooru would be able to help him find it, of course.

"Link!" A voice called from behind him. Link turned around in his saddle to see Maria, a young woman from the Royal Knights, who wielded two small axes.

He dismounted quickly. "Hello. What are you doing here?" He asked.

She walked up to him. "The same reason I thought you were here. If there's an attack, it'll be here."

"Hmm. I hope it won't come to that. Is Kyra ok?" Link asked, trying to avoid any difficult questions.

Maria nodded. "Somehow. Bit of a miracle she actually lived long enough to get here, she almost bled to death. I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't pretty. She's alright now though."

Link nodded. "So how long is Nabooru supposed to be in the desert?" He asked.

"Nabooru? She just got back, actually. I can take you to her, if you like." She replied.

Link nodded, and she led him into the fortress. They eventually got to the lounge, where Nabooru was collapsed in a chair. She looked up and smiled slightly, looking completely exhausted.

Link walked over, kneeling nearby. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Fine, just tired. It worked. They spirits played hell with their armies, they got split up. It'll take them forever to actually find this place and chart a path."

Link listened, the asked "What about the deserters?"

"After the little attack, most of them came back to us. Shouldn't be any more problems. What about you? They just let you go?" Nabooru asked.

Link shook his head. "A couple of the royal knights freed me. But forget about that. Do you know anything about a song of the goddesses?"

Nabooru eyed him curiously. "Yes, I do actually… why?"

"I need it."

"Oh, of course. How silly of me. WHY do you need it?" She said sarcastically.

"Once again, I have to do way more than I should. Doesn't anyone trust me?!" Link asked exasperatedly.

"I guess I should trust you. I can take you to it, but you have to fight the guardian I put there. But please don't. I don't mind telling you, I put the spirit of a vicious killer in there. He was a trained killer, and being dead made him more dangerous. He's mad as hell too; being tied to this mortal earth causes him great pain, almost as much as the underworld where he would have gone." She said gravely.

"I don't have a choice. Take me to it." Link commanded.

She shrugged, getting up slowly. She led him out behind the fortress, and opened a hidden trapdoor with a wave of her hand.

"In there. I don't want you to die down there, so I have two pieces of advice for you. You have to borrow my power to destroy him; he is a ghost after all. Also… whatever you do, don't show fear. He feeds on it." She told him seriously.

Link nodded, and slid down and in. It slammed shut after him, plunging him into total darkness. Nothing happened for a few minutes, but then something appeared. A white haze appeared in front of him, and the room turned ice cold. He felt a small wind, and heard a faint laughter echoing.

"Come with me… into the darkness…" A voice hissed right by his ear. He spun and slashed, hitting nothing. The haze in front of him began to take on a human-like shape. It was a man with hair so dirty you couldn't even see what colour it was. It was shoulder length, and hung lankly down. His face was gaunt, with sunken, red rimmed eyes. The whole right side of his face was slashed and burned into an almost unrecognizable mess, forcing one eye closed. His ear was entirely missing on that side. He was dressed in rags.

It was sneering at him, pure hatred in its one open eye. It glided over to Link, who stabbed at its chest. His sword went right through, not affecting it at all. It grabbed his throat, ramming him into a wall. His hand was cold as ice, and definitely felt solid. It raised Link up on the wall, tightening its grip on his throat. Link choked, trying to pull the arm off. He couldn't even touch it, his hand went through. It felt like an icy mist. He pulled out his hookshot as he started to feel lightheaded. He aimed where he knew the trapdoor was, and fired. He was pulled out of the ghosts grasp, gasping for air. He dropped down, holding his throat and taking in deep breaths.

"Don't run from me you son of a BITCH!" The ghost spat, gliding towards him. This time it drew a knife from inside its rags, holding it menacingly. Link stood up suddenly, glaring at it. It looked like it was about to back down, its rage temporarily replaced by fear. This subsided quickly, and it gritted its rotting teeth as it raised the knife again, coming closer. Link back flipped, drawing the spirit medallion.

He again tossed it up, slashing it as it fell. It turned into orange light, fusing with his sword. The blade turned transparent, with the carving of Nabooru's spirit symbol glowing orange. He slashed at the ghost as it approached. His sword cut through it as before, but it screamed this time, and it's clearly defined shape slipped for a second, almost becoming a misty blob. It came back into focus quickly, looking angrier than before.

"BASTARD!" It yelled. It vanished suddenly, leaving Link looking around slowly. He felt a sudden pain in his head, as if it had been hit by a rock. He fell forward yelling, but he swallowed the pain and rolled to his feet. A quick spin felt a slight contact as if with some fog, and the ghost yelled again, fading into vision. It drew a knife again, slashing at him. Link raised his sword, blocking the pearly white blade.

He back flipped and then jumped forward again bringing his sword down, but the spirit vanished and appeared further back. It threw the knife, which Link ducked. The knife hit a wall, vanishing. Link stepped forward, thrusting his sword as far as he could. It pierced the spirit's stomach, again causing it to blur, but more severely now. He quickly gauged his magic, realizing he was at about half power. It wasn't draining as fast as it had with the light medallion, but it was dropping.

The ghost vanished again. Link closed his eyes, everything was black anyway. He stood stock still, sheathing his sword. He left his hand on the hilt, standing stock still. He heard, no, felt something behind him. He drew his sword and swung it down and backward, hitting the spirit.

"DAMN YOU! HOW CAN YOU SEE ME YOU BASTARD!" The ghost roared with rage, appearing in front of him. Its appearance was changing, looking less and less human and more like a disfigured monster. The "skin" on the right side of his face was peeling, revealing a brown and cracked skull. The left side was rotting and hanging limply. Its hair was falling out, vanishing into thin air.

It ran forward with a rage. It's sunken eye gleamed with rage, as it approached weaponless. Link slashed at it, backing up. It was blurring and breaking up, but it kept coming. It slammed a fist into the side of his head, and Link reeled to the side, dropping his sword. It kicked his shin, knocking him to the ground. It knelt over him, picked up a rock and began beating him with it. Link curled into a ball defensively, covering his head with his gauntleted hands and keeping his chest tucked safely away. He gritted his teeth against the pain, gathering his strength. He tensed, and then sprung to the side like a spring and scooping his sword up as he got to his feet. He leapt above the ghost, coming down above it with his sword planted. He fell right through it sword first, and it scattered as a white fog. An inhuman screaming sound filled the room, the kind of screaming that would make throats bleed.

Link sheathed his sword, separating it from the medallion first. Several torches lit as the screaming faded into echoes. A chest appeared in the center of what was revealed to be a circular room. He opened it, wiping blood from his lip. He picked up the last piece of the stone tablet, which contained a song called "Overture of Courage." He memorized it, and then used his hookshot to pull down a ladder on the roof, one end of which was attached near the trapdoor. He climbed this, opening the trapdoor and climbing into the sunlight.

"Oh my go… Link, are you alright?!" Nabooru exclaimed as he climbed out. He knew he must look like hell; he sure felt like it. His head was pounding, and felt achy all over. He nodded anyway, figuring it could be worse.

"I have to go…" Link said, staggering to the front of the fortress. She followed, insisting that he needed to see a medic.

"I'm fine." He said irritably, wincing as he climbed onto Epona, who had been waiting dutifully. He rode off, waving to Nabooru, who was watching with concern and curiosity.

He rode most of the night back to the forest. He drank one of his bottles of red potion, and his green one. He was feeling much better by the time he arrived at Kokiri Forest, around three in the morning according to the moon. He was still bruised, but he was no longer in pain, and he felt ready for any new challenges.

He first went to the Deku Tree sprout, asking him if he knew how to find the temple.

"Link, it is impossible to map the Lost Woods. You know that. However, the temples had to be findable, so Farore left a guide for the pure hearted. Enter the forest, and declare your intentions." The sprout replied.

Link thanked him, heading back to the Lost Woods. He stopped when he was barely inside, lying against a tree. Before he went any further, he wanted some rest. He closed his eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.

**AN: I'm really into this story again now, and if I wasn't working on two stories the updates would be more frequent. Well, please review. Always nice to know I'm not wasting my time.**


	18. The Shadow

**Reponses: **

**Spiritual Stone: Well… Link DOES have a red potion still. He also had the sense to take a nap. I guess he didn't think he had time to go to a village and get more stuff. The ghost thing was kind of old, but I was honestly out of ideas for the guardians… thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: Yup, you reviewed both. So thanks!**

Link awoke around noon of that day. He scrambled to his feet, looking at the sun above. He found a pure forest stream, and took a deep drink before heading deeper into the forest. At about a hundred paces in, he called out, "I need to find Farore's Temple!"

Nothing happened for thirty seconds or more. He waited nervously, wondering what he would do if it didn't work. He was about to turn back when a small green bird flitted down, hovering nearby. It was about as big as his fist, with tiny wings flapping really quickly, like a hummingbird. It seemed to gesture with its head deeper into the forest, and then took off.

Link exhaled quickly in surprise, and bolted after it. He hopped a tree root and dodged under a branch. He desperately kept it in his sight, careful not to lose it among the green foliage. He leaped over a small stream, grabbing hold of an overhead tree branch to clear it. He had always played in the forest as a kid, and felt right at home.

He ran for a long time, eventually entering the foggy, dark, damp section of the forest. The bird led him to a giant clearing, the biggest one he had ever seen in this forest. It shot up into the sky, leaving him there.

He took out his ocarina, placing it to his lips. Quickly calling the song back to memory, he began to play the bold, triumphant melody. When the last note rang out, the familiar process began, forming a green portal. He stepped through, and was once again deposited in the sacred realm. He was in the same clearing again, but in the dim, yellowish-orange colour of the sacred realm.

He cautiously watched the entrance of the temple before him, wondering what creature would be waiting this time. Nothing came, so he entered carefully. As soon as he entered, two stalfos attacked from each side. He rolled forward as they slashed, spinning as he rose. They were oddly coloured too, pitch black. Link had never seen a darker black, it almost hurt his eyes. They had the usual red eyes, which stood out especially well. There was also a shadowy cloud in their ribcages, which were normally empty. They both wielded the usual blood red sword, and heavy, circular red shields.

Link back flipped as they stepped forward, then planted his feet and watched them approach. They stabbed towards his head simultaneously, and he ducked to avoid it. He tensed his knees as he went down, then sprung up and forward, clothes lining the stalfos to his left with his sword outstretched. It cleaved its head right off, which began snapping wildly. The body began swinging randomly, and Link had to roll around it and back flip to keep away. The other stalfos blocked one of the swings with its sword, then smashed it to bits with the shield. The shadowy fog escaped, drifting up and into the other stalfos ribcage. Its eyes glowed brighter, and it looked to Link viciously, stepping towards him.

It lashed out, and Link blocked. Link tried a counter slash but it parried and stabbed, he stopped it with his shield. He back flipped, then rolled forward and stabbed. He pierced through the inky black shadow in its rib cage, which dispersed through the ribs and faded away. The stalfos took a staggering step forward, the collapsed in a lifeless heap.

Link looked at it carefully. The black cloud seemed to be all that was driving it. He knew a normal stalfos was a human skeleton animated by black magic. This seemed more as if the skeletons were possessed by that black cloud, used as a body. He ran down the hall to the main room, keeping an eye out for any more "stalfos" hiding behind the statues of Farore that lined the hall.

He made it to the main room without incident, but stopped short. There were at least thirty skeletons, all looking at him. A door slammed shut behind him, and the stalfos began to march towards him. He stood with his back to the door, watching them advance. The first wave approached, and he reared his sword back, ready…

"Enough!" A voice called out.

The stalfos stopped as one. The voice, which Link realized was Ganon's, continued: "Fight him as one below. I want to see it happen."

The stalfos looked hesitant, but all the clouds drifted out of the ribcages as one. The skeletons collapsed at the same time, and the cloud formed a giant one over them. It slowly sank into the ground, vanishing entirely. Link sheathed his sword cautiously. What did Ganondorf mean "as one?" And since when did he command an army of shadows in the sacred realm?

He headed over to the door, which was not locked like the rest. He remembered the scroll, how the man who went through went crazy. He opened it anyway, stepping inside.

He caught a glimpse of a long hall, but as soon as the door closed everything went black. It wasn't dark, he could see himself fine. It was like everything else was gone. A woman's voice spoke to him out of the blackness, "This is a test of your courage. Are you brave enough to face your fear?"

Link unsheathed his sword, but was shocked to see his Kokiri sword! He also had his Deku shield. He checked himself out, realizing he was a kid again. His tunic was brighter, he had less muscle, he had no armour under his tunic, and worst of all, he wasn't even five feet tall!

Something approached. It was a figure on horseback. He squinted, and realized with a sudden horror it was Ganondorf! Ganondorf had his giant sword drawn, with a small grin on his face. His eyes were vicious, blazing with fury.

Link staggered back. He couldn't fight Ganon as a kid! He had no power, not the master sword, nothing! He couldn't even wield a bow. He started to turn to run, but the triforce mark on his hand, now devoid of gauntlets, caught his eye. It was glowing dimly, but that wasn't what mattered to him. The important thing was that he was still the wielder of the Triforce of Courage. That hadn't changed, and he wouldn't disgrace its blessing.

He raised his sword and drew his shield, staring down Ganon, who was still approaching. He took a deep breath, and ran forward. He readied his small sword, and leapt up at Ganon. Ganon reared his sword back and swung it forward, ready to hit him out of the air…

With a flash he was gone. So was the blackness, and he landed clumsily on the regular floor in the well-lit room, with the stairs leading down at the end. He looked himself over, never being so glad to see his adult body. He jogged to the stairs, and descended into the room below.

It was a room like the previous two temples, a giant room made of yellowish-brown stone. There was the altar in the middle like before, with a large statue of Farore presiding over it. He approached it, sword and shield already drawn. That giant cloud of shadow had gone down, which meant it was probably in this room. And where was Ganondorf?

Without warning, the cloud of inky darkness descended from the high ceiling. It gathered in front of Link, hanging there. Without warning, it all began to stream into the statue, vanishing inside of it. The statues eyes glowed red.

Link took a few steps backward, watching it carefully. It moved suddenly, its head jerking clumsily to look at him. The eyes flashed, and the rest of the statue began to move. It pulled its legs free of the ground, and began to move its arms as if practicing. It stepped toward Link, its movements getting smoother and smoother the more it moved. It let out a muffled roar, and began speaking.

"We are the shadow. The darkness. The destroyer." It said, raising its arms. A ball of purple energy appeared in each, and it flung them at Link. Link back flipped, and they impacted the ground in front of him. Dirt and stone was flung up.

It was getting smoother and smoother. It ran towards him with the grace of a giant human, and kicked at him. He jumped to the side, avoiding the large stone foot. He gauged the statue's height at about fifteen feet. It was smooth stone, although it moved with flexibility equal to that of a giant person. The face, which had seemed so kind and caring earlier now appeared mocking almost.

It stepped towards him, pointing a finger at him. He crouched behind his shield just in time as a bolt of dark purple energy burst out, and blew him over backward. He turned it into a backward roll to his feet, and drew his bow. He aimed at the eyes, which had turned transparent. He could see the cloud inside, and two glowing dots acting as eyes.

The arrow had no effect; he might as well have shot the wall. He dodged another bolt of energy, and then ran forward at it. His sword was drawn again, and he was improvising a plan as he went. It swung its arm at him, and he leapt up and used it as a step, hopping from it to the statue's torso. He landed on the shoulders, and stabbed hi sword down at the head. To his dismay, it was too solid and he had no effect.

It reached up and grabbed him by his arm. It pulled him off and shook him like a rag doll, before tossing him away. He landed on his stomach hard, knocking all the wind out of him. He gasped, struggling to draw in air. It began walking toward him slowly. He used his magic to help him recover, getting to his feet. His stomach still hurt, but he could breathe. So he couldn't destroy it… he had to disable it somehow.

It threw another dark purple ball of energy at him. He hopped back, quickly making a plan. He had an idea of how to knock it down, but he needed it to stay down. He ran through his medallions, and it all clicked into place.

He ran back a bit, giving himself time to prepare. He changed into his golden gauntlets, knowing he would need all the power he could get. He slipped on his iron boots, fastening himself in place. He used Nayru's Love last of all, and then stood ready. The statue hurled a blast of energy, but it was absorbed by Nayru's Love. It made another muffled roaring noise, and charged forward. It reared its fist back, and slammed it down at Link. It hit the protective diamond, and his iron boots kept him in place. He slid an inch, then reached out and grabbed the fist with his two hands. The statue tried to push him down, but he pushed right back.

They two struggled, Link managing to hold his own despite his size. He finally got the better of it, pulling his hardest and tossing it behind him. It landed a few feet away on its stomach, where it lay still for the second he needed. He pulled out the forest medallion, fusing it with his sword like before. The blade took on a green tint, and vines crept up the blade. He raised it straight up, and then pointed it down at the statue. Vines burst from the ground, flailing in the air. They shot down and began to wrap around the statue's arms and legs, pulling them tight against the ground as it tried to get up. More vines grew, wrapping its torso and head to the ground. It was eventually held fast, and everything grew still.

The shadow rose out of the statue, floating before Link. He took a step backward, almost falling. Without warning, the shadow rose up in a stream, arced around and came straight at him. He raised his shield, but it streamed around it, and everything became dark, he couldn't see, he couldn't think, and then everything went black.

**Think the first bit of the main Zelda overworld theme.**

**AN: Any suggestions, comments, questions, whatever, just leave a review!**


	19. The Struggle Within

**AN: This chapter is actually based on an idea I had even before I started writing. It was fun to finally actually use a version of it. Hope you enjoy!**

**Responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: Wow. Wtf indeed. How did I miss that? I must be getting lazy… well, I'm glad you liked that parts where I wasn't randomly swearing. Stupid typos…**

**ZombieDragon: Sure, I could try that. I just want to be careful not to make it TOO gory, but I can try to be more descriptive of course. Thanks for the review**

**Suburbia: Yeah, I might do just that. I think Dark Link is pretty freaking sweet.**

Link awoke in a small, dark building. He stood up quickly, looking around in a panic. What happened? He could remember the temple, the stalfos, the shadow, and… the shadow. That was it; it had attacked him, surrounded him, and rushed at him. So why was he here? Where was here?

There was a small door leading outside. He stepped through it, and got a good look at his surroundings. He was on an abandoned street in the dead of night. A faint wind was blowing dust along the dirt road. Small wooden buildings lined the street, which seemed to on forever. There was a fog far away on both ends of the street, a fog so thick it seemed to be a solid wall blocking the road. He started to walk down the street, looking between the buildings. The fog was way over there too, completely encircling the road and empty field on both sides of it.

_Why are you still here?_

Link jumped at the voice, which seemed to come from everywhere, the sky, the buildings, his own head.

_You shouldn't be here. You should have been destroyed._

"Who are you?" Link called out.

_Give me your body._

"Who are you?!" Link called again, louder.

_I am the shadow._

"Where have you taken me?" Link yelled.

_I have taken you no where. This is your mind._

Link looked around in confusion. He stepped into the middle of the dirt road, turning around slowly, looking at everything. "Who are you?" He repeated.

_I told you. I am the shadow. I am the one. I drive all that you call evil. Surrender your mind to me and it will be painless._

"What do you mean?" Link yelled.

_What do you not understand? This is your mind. You were a threat to me, so I took over your body. I don't know why your mind was not destroyed, but it matters not. I will take it by force._

As soon as that was said, something happened. In front of Link, the shadowy fog from before was gathering, morphing into a shape.

_I have access to all your memories, dreams, and thoughts. You cannot fight your past._

The shadowy from became recognizable. It took the shape of a deku scrub, but not just any deku scrub. Link could tell by the hat and undeku-like fringe of hair that it was the form he took when he put on the Deku Mask. There were a few minor differences however. Instead of a green hat, there was a purple one with a fringe of black hair instead of blonde. The usual, sad orange eyes were green and menacing.

It shot a bubble from its round mouth, and Link ducked quickly. The bubble whizzed overhead, but the deku didn't give up. It spun at him, slamming into his knees and knocking him down. He got up quickly, reaching for his sword. He spun to see the deku shoot another bubble, but he blocked it with his shield. It popped, leaving behind a stain of acidic fluid. Luckily it was not strong enough to harm metal.

The deku stepped back, and suddenly a pink flower appeared underneath it. It burrowed into that, popping up and flying on two flowers a second later. It flew overhead, dropping deku nuts. Link was blinded by the bright flashes of light, and the deku hit him from behind, knocking him forward. He rolled as he fell, spinning and slashing out instinctively. He hit the deku in midair, and it flew back clutching its wooden stomach with its stubby arms.

The light had faded enough that he could see the deku get up again. Link drew his bow in a flash, firing an arrow at it. It curled up suddenly, and the arrow was deflected by the wooden shell. Link realized then that he had been incredibly stupid. It was a deku! He readied another arrow, this one bursting into flame. The deku stayed in its shield, but it didn't matter. The arrow lit it on fire, and it began to lose it solidity.

Link started to relax, but tensed up again as the fire faded and the shadow formed up again. It was much bigger and rounder this time, and he realized it was a goron. More specifically, his goron form. It also had a purple hat and black fringe of hair, as well as a large red scar across its stomach.

_Hmm… I did not expect resistance. You have a strong mind. But I have access to all your memories, and I will prevail!_

It curled up into a ball, rolling at him. He leaped to the side and it rolled right by, turning around and coming again. Spikes had appeared all over it now, and it tore up the ground was it went. For no particular reason, Link noticed the torn up ground healed itself quickly. Instead of dodging, he thrust his shield up and let the rolling goron hit it. The impact was tremendous, and he instantly began sliding down the road. He leaned into it to keep from falling, skidding along. Amazingly, his shield didn't break. He was starting to think reality didn't apply here. Made sense, if this was his mind.

After getting pushed a fair way down the street, he began to slow. He finally stopped, and took the opportunity. He skipped the sword and went for the megaton hammer, raising it overhead and crashing it down on the curled up goron. It stood in surprise, but it punched him quickly in the stomach. He doubled over with a yell, feeling as though he had been hit by a bettering ram. The goron used a quick uppercut, blowing him over backward.

It stood over him, raising its arms and falling. Link gritted his teeth and rolled backward to his feet, drawing the biggoron sword. He spun it so the tip pointed down, and leaped into the air. He came down hard and planted the sword into the goron's back with all his strength. It slid in as if through rock, and he back flipped off, sheathing the giant blade.

_Why do you fight so? Your mind is mine now!_

It became the shadow again, this time forming a tall, slim figure. Link knew almost immediately it was his zora form. The long, normally green part of the head was purple, as were the fins. Other than that, it was the same.

Link started the attack this time, charging forward as he drew his sword and shield. He stabbed at its chest, but was surprised as it put up the electric shield. It trapped his sword in place, and coursed through is body. He screamed and jerked back, pulling free. He felt light headed, and every now and then a jolt of pain coursed through his body.

He bit his lip against the pain, standing up again. The zora looked surprised, but it wasted no time. It crossed its arms then flung both fins at him. He ducked under them, charging forward. He hit the zora with his shield, and then flipped over it and kicked it in the back. It tumbled forward and was hit by its own fins as they returned.

He raised his sword to strike, but back flipped as it put up its shield. He just stayed clear of the electrical field, but it gave the zora enough time to turn and get into a fighting stance. Link did do too, thinking back to how he always fought as a zora. It wouldn't hit hard, but it would be fast and play it very defensively.

With that in mind, he danced in. It jabbed at him twice, and he dodged both, following up with a downward slash. It crossed its arms to block it, and kicked him in the stomach. He was thrown off balance, and it took the time to get in three solid hits with its fins. The last one threw him onto his back but he frog leaped up just as quick, and took the zora by surprise. He swung horizontally, and as it tried to block he spun and slashed from the other side, slashing its stomach. Its eyes widened in surprise, looking down. No blood came out, but it again became shadow.

Link hoped to the goddesses that it was dead, but he knew it wasn't. He also knew the next form it would take before it even took shape. He took several steps back as it took the shape of Fierce Deity Link.

_I am surprised by your mental strength. But I know everything about this shape, and I know you can never beat it._

Link knew it too. The Fierce Deity looked exactly as it did when he put on the mask, no changes at all. It gave its large, twisted sword a practice swing before coming at Link.

Link tried to swing, but with an effortless flick of its blade it hurled his sword down the street. Another swing shattered his shield, leaving him weaponless. He back flipped as it swung at him, but it swung again and fired a blue blade of energy at him. It hit him square in the chest, blowing him over backwards. He felt immense pain on his chest, as if it had been slashed up badly. There was no blood though, and it didn't seem to be serious.

_This is pitiful. Without control of your mind, you cannot beat me._

"So… you say this is my mind." Link muttered quietly. "If that is true… then I am the one who cannot be beaten!" He finished, his voice rising. He stood quickly, the pain fading. The triforce on his hand glowed, and the Master Sword materialized there. Not the real master sword, of course, but the memory of it held as much power in his mind as the real thing did in reality.

The sword glowed brightly, and Link grasped his mirror shield as well. He stepped toward the Fierce Deity, who began to show signs of uncertainty. Link charged forward, swinging from his left to his right. Fierce Deity blocked, and they became locked in combat. Link fought wildly, staying on the offense and using his shield only occasionally. Finally the Feirve Deity made a mistake, swinging a little too wildly and losing its balance. Link slashed the Master Sword down its chest, breaking the armour off and revealing the extremely light blue tunic underneath.

It jumped far back, and swung diagonally three times. Three blades of energy hurled at Link, but he coolly put up his mirror shield. He slid back from the impact, but his shield began to pulse with blue energy. He charged forward with his shield thrust ahead, and blue energy poured out in a beam, slamming into Fierce Deity's chest.

_NO! How are you doing this?_

Its body exploded, becoming the black fog again. It didn't form up however, instead blanketing the street, entering buildings, and floating through the sky.

_No matter. It seems your mind is too strong to defeat. But that is unimportant; I can still control your body. You are merely an annoyance._

It began showing Link images. It showed him people he knew, Zelda, Malon, Elisa, the knights, all dying in a large war. It showed him Hyrule burning, it showed him Ganon returning, it even showed him the moon in Termina. Images were everywhere, jumbled up, each more terrible than the last.

"What the hell are you doing? GET OUT OF MY GOD DAMN HEAD!!" Link roared in anger, his voice rising to an amazing volume. He threw his arms out and suddenly a dome of white fire surrounded him, and he yelled with incoherent rage. The dome expanded, the images vanished, and the shadow was pushed back, eaten away.

_Wha- What are you doing?_

The white flame expanded, taller and wider. As it hit the buildings light went on inside them, the night sky began to lighten, the fog lifted and he could see endlessly in all directions. The shadow was retreating up, vanishing all together in places. The street was awash with morning light, and a strange calm settled over everything. The fire had expanded beyond sight in all directions, and the shadow was gone. He felt his rage subsiding as the street slowly began to fade away into soothing white light…

**AN… Well? Please review!**


	20. Farore

**AN: I'm too lazy to respond to everything now; from now on it's only if you have a question or said something I want to comment on. Oh, and sorry this took so long.**

**ZombieDragon: Ha ha, trippy, lol. Glad you liked it.**

**Spiritual Stone: I took your advice, and I think it helped. Although my family gave me some strange looks…**

**Simbiot2.0: You mean as in, he's winning too easily? I'll see what I can do…**

Link awoke with a start. He was lying on the hard, stone ground and looking at a wall. His head hurt, but he felt surprisingly fine otherwise. Great, actually. He stood carefully, his head throbbing dully. He remembered everything fine, although it still didn't seem real. Fighting in his own head? He decided it was best not to think about it.

His sword was lying sheathed a few feet away, and his shield was a bit further. His quiver was lying in a different direction, and his bag of bombs was lying nearby. It seemed he had a fit or something. He scrambled to gather it all, his head slowly but surely feeling better. When he was done, he walked over to the altar, where the statue was mysteriously back in place. As before, he put his hand on it and was consumed by the vision that followed.

A figure appeared in the blackness that swallowed him. She was dressed in clothing made of leaves, and had long, tangled green hair. She was the youngest looking of the three, and the least solemn. She seemed even playful.

"Thank you, young warrior! You have freed my temple from the shadow. All three of us are in your debt. When you need us, we will be there." She said with a smile. The vision began to fade as quickly as it had come.

"Be careful…" He heard faintly as he awoke in front of the altar. He shook his head quickly, turned on the spot…

And almost walked right into Ganondorf. He stumbled back with a gasp, right into the altar. Ganondorf smiled, but it didn't extend to his eyes. His eyes held nothing but cold fury, pure and unrestrained. He reared his fist back, and punched at Link with all his strength. Link jumped up onto the altar table, and then leapt over Ganondorf, rolling and taking off. He ran for the stairs, but a burst of yellow energy flew overhead and destroyed a large section of the stairs, blocking his way out. He skidded to a halt, turning around.

Ganondorf was striding forward confidently. He stopped a few paces from Link, and snapped his finger. With a small bang, two figures appeared on either side. One was Dark Link, in his dark tunic, red eyes, and face made of shadow. The other looked almost exactly like Ganondorf, but with a skull for a face, and wilding a staff. Phantom Ganon.

Ganondorf chuckled evilly. "Thought they were dead, did you boy? It's time you learned…" He began, holding a hand up. Purple energy gathered there, forming a sphere of energy, "…darkness never dies." He finished, as the sphere launched forward, into Link's chest.

He let out a short yell, and was blasted over backward. Dark Link leapt forward, sword planted down toward Link's chest. It hit stone ground as Link rolled out of the way and got to his feet. As soon as he stood up however, Phantom Ganon pressed the attack. He swung his staff viciously at Link, who back flipped, and tried to dance in close. Dark Link came from the side, forcing him to retreat. Ganon leapt in to attack from the other side, and Link was forced to backpedal. He dodged an energy attack from Ganondorf, then flipped back to keep his distance from Dark Link.

"HYA!" He yelled, taking the offensive. With a burst of speed, he leaped forward and performed a spin attack. Dark Link was hit and knocked back, but before he could press his attack he was forced into a defensive stance as both Ganondorf and Phantom Ganon approached.

Link needed out. Fast. Any one of these opponents would be a challenge; he couldn't take all three at once. He could even tell they were going easy on him, just leisurely attacking him whenever they wanted. Link was tempted toward the Fierce Deity's mask, but the results could be disastrous.

Dark Link leapt forward suddenly. Link raised his shield, but it flipped over him and kicked him in the back. He stumbled forward, regaining his balance in time for Phantom Ganon to deal him a swift smack on the head with his staff. His vision doubled, and he staggered sideways before falling to his knees. He felt warm blood on the side of his head, and was amazed he was conscious. As it was, he was too dazed to react as Ganondorf slowly walked over to him, waving his servants aside. He looked up as Ganondorf raised his foot and kicked Link's face. He fell onto his back, his lip now bleeding too.

"I've waited years for this!" Ganondorf roared, kicking Link in the gut, forcing him to curl up into a ball.

"Not so strong without the Master Sword, are you! Or your little friend Zelda! How does it feel, to be ganged up on?" He mocked, kicking Link in the back before picking him up with one hand, around the throat. Link choked, and Ganondorf effortlessly tossed him to the side. He crumpled there, barely conscious.

"Kill him." Ganondorf said simply, motioning Dark Link forward. He stood and watched as Dark Link raised his sword up above Link's motionless body.

The temple began to rumble. A large green orb appeared at the other side of the chamber, and Dark Link flew back toward it. Ganondorf and Phantom Ganon appeared to be struggling against some wind Link couldn't feel, and they were dragged back away. Link slowly stood up, wiping blood away from his mouth. He staggered toward the stairs, which had mysteriously been repaired.

His vision was blurry and everything he heard sounded vague and distant. He could hear Ganondorf screaming in anger, and looked back. He saw three dim figures in front of the green orb, unable to move. He finally reached the stairs, and began to climb. He started to feel better, and picked up speed as he went. By the end he was scrambling up at full speed, along the short hall and into the main chamber.

He half expected the skeletons to be back, but they were still in a crumpled heap. Looks like that shadow had been completely destroyed. He ran out through the entrance hall and leapt the stairs out of the temple. A portal was open for him ahead, and he jumped clean through. It brought him to the edge of the clearing back in the world of light.

He stood for a minute, just enjoying the breeze. Something about the Sacred Realm made him feel unwelcome and alien. It felt good to be back.

The ground shook. He spun around as the temple began to come back as Nayru's and presumably Din's had before. A small green orb appeared to draw in everything around it before exploding out in a flash of light. The temple loomed in front of him, looking regal and sacred. He smiled faintly and tiredly, before drawing his Ocarina. He played the Prelude of Light, and was on his way to the Temple of Time.

He entered the market without thinking. Suddenly his eyes shot wide open as he remembered he was wanted. He thought about attaching the hood, but in his tunic he would stand out anyway. He slowly backed towards the temple. No one had seen him…

"There he is!" A voice shouted.

Or not. Link tried to take off, but the guards had him trapped. He ran back into the temple, and they were right behind him. He backed up against the Door of Time, sealed firmly shut. There were five guards in total; two stayed at the door while the other three came forward, longbows aimed right at him. Link raised his hands into the air. One of those arrows would pierce his chain mail like nothing. And the rest of his body, for that matter. He would end up pinned to the stone behind him.

One lowered his bow and approached. He unclipped Link's sword and shield, watching him carefully. He backed away with them while the two at the door came forward. They tied Link's hands together in front of him and marched him out.

"The king wants to see you personally." One of the guards told him. Link found this odd… he thought the king wouldn't have the guts to look at him now.

He didn't show this. Instead he gave the guard a cold stare, and the guard averted his gaze. They entered the castle courtyard, and marched straight inside the castle and into the throne room. The king was standing by his chair, with no guards in the room besides the ones escorting Link.

The guards bowed. Link didn't, and when the started to force him down the king waved them away. They did as he wished, although they never took their eyes off Link.

The king sighed. "Why did you do it Link? Why did you side with the traitorous Gerudo" He asked curiously.

"Does it matter? You'll try and have me killed anyway." Link said.

"Look… I have to tell you that I don't wish too, now that I've thought about it. But I have no choice, it is the law." The king said.

"Hmm. Well, either way…" Link started but stopped suddenly. He had just noticed his shadow, and something seemed off. He looked up, and realized the sun was coming in through a window in front of him. _But the shadow was in front too!_

"Untie me now!" Link barked. He struggled, but the knot was tied too tight.

They looked at him oddly. They started to walk toward him in confusion when his shadow began to move. It began to slide up from the ground and form a body. Dark Link had followed him back. The guards panicked, drawing swords. It laughed, and leapt at one. It easily parried away his thrust, and spun around to deliver a fatal slash. The others retreated into a defensive position around the king. The guard holding his weapon had dropped it on the ground, but he still needed to get his hands free.

He twisted his hands uselessly as Dark Link advanced on the king and his guards. It would be four on one, but Link had no doubt that Dark Link was easily capable if that. He tried to create a flame in his hands but couldn't do it with pure mental will. He needed hand movements. He fell to his knees and watched helplessly as Dark Link approached the guards and king, ready to strike.

**Sorry it took so long. Please review!**


	21. Dark Link

**AN: Sorry it took so long… homework issues and writer's block don't mix.**** You're not going to like how short it is either.**

**Responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: Oh well, no need to apologize… as long as it works. Thanks for the review!**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Wow, and I thought I had a lot of homework… Well, good luck with that computer. And with Guild Wars, never actually played it myself...**

**ZombieDragon: Yeah. I showed him! Thanks for the review!**

**Anime Wildfire: That's ok, and sorry this took so long. Thanks for the review!**

**Dragon's Hitokiri: That's the great thing about cliff hangers; keeps everyone coming back. Thanks for the review!**

Link gave his hands one last twist, but only succeeded in falling over sideways. He swore loudly, flailing uselessly on the floor. He twisted his head and saw Dark Link easily parry a thrust, toying with the guards. He heard banging on the door to the room, which was mysteriously closed and locked.

He thought quickly, as Dark Link danced in and impaled a guard on his shadow blade. The guard roared in pain, before collapsing limply to the ground. The king backed up against the wall as the remaining three formed a protective wall around him. Link knew he couldn't escape through sheer force, but he also knew a lot about Dark Link. He was evil, egotistical, arrogant, and somewhat cowardly despite his undeniable skill.

"So this is it? You go after them while I'm tied up, out of your way?" Link called out. Dark Link stopped, looking back briefly. Link's success depended on what was stronger, Dark Link's ego or his fear of a fair fight.

"You're weak." Link said simply, trying to goad him.

Still he stood, stock still, listening but not looking at him. Link could tell he was getting to him though; subtle shifts in the consistency of his inky black shadowy skin gave it away.

"Not even going to face me?" Link chided, scrambling onto his knees. He saw Dark Link's fist twitch on his sword hilt, and his previously almost solid looking "skin" seemed to flow quickly within his shape. He spun without warning and began to stride cockily and purposefully toward Link, his red eyes flashing in rage. Link had gotten through to him. Now would Dark Link fight him, or just kill him right now?

It began to untie him. Fight it was. But as soon as he was released, Dark Link took a swipe. Link rolled backward onto his feet. Well, he was half right. Dark Link watched him. His sword lay on the floor not even ten paces ahead, but with Dark Link in the way it might as well be a mile. The banging on the door was stronger, and he could hear guards shouting from out there.

As far as Link could tell, he had three options. Let the guards in, but Dark Link would either kill them or run, and neither would be very good. He could dash for the sword, but he'd probably get hacked to bits. So he had one choice… fight his way to the sword.

He decided all this in a split second, and drew his bow. Light erupted from the tip, and he released the light arrow at Dark Link's chest. Dark Link sunk into the ground for a moment to escape the light, and Link drew his biggoron sword before dashing for his other sword. He made it barely three steps when Dark Link leaped up in front of him. He swung in a broad horizontal arc, but Dark Link leapt on top of his blade and took a swing at Link, missing his head by inches.

_Too slow. _Link heard in his mind. He knew instantly it was Dark Link.

He feinted left, spun, and sheathed his sword in a fluid motion. He quickly used Din's Fire as Dark Link tried to block an attack that wasn't coming. The fire drove Dark Link into the floor yet again, and Link took another dash for his sword. His triforce piece pulsed once and time slowed down briefly. He reached his sword in the blink of an eye, rolled as he grabbed it and spun while bringing it up into the air. It blocked Dark Link's downward slash that had been about to hit him in the back. They struggled briefly, Link pushing up and Dark Link pushing down until they both moved their blades to the side and threw each other off balance.

They recovered at the same time, each taking a swing. Their blades clashed and they traded hits, blocking and parrying and attacking in unison. Link tried to fight without planning anything, because Dark Link seemed linked to his thoughts somehow.

The door burst open with a crash. Guards rushed in, close to twenty of them. Link swore, and Dark Link made a hissing noise. Link couldn't tell if it was in his head or not, nor did he care. He desperately lunged at Dark Link, but he already knew he was too late. Dark Link vanished into the ground, and was instantaneously somewhere else. Link twirled his sword and drove it into the floor hard enough to force it right into the stone, while gritting his teeth in frustration. He composed himself quickly. He had to keep his emotions in check.

The guards looked at the dead near the king, and then at Link, angrily holding his sword. Link realized this probably didn't look to good, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Leave him!" The king commanded, striding forward and raising his arms for order before they attacked.

He walked right up to Link. "You're not really our enemy… are you?"

Link stared back coldly. The king sighed, and wearily asked, "What have I been doing?"

Link sheathed his sword, watching the king, all the anger gone from his eyes. A soft look had filled them instead, changing his entire appearance.

"Everything's out of control… the war with Jarmania has diminished our kingdom to squabbling amongst ourselves, uselessly wasting lives in the so called war effort. I am ashamed of our country, I really am… and ashamed of myself. Link… can you truly help us?" The king asked somberly.

Link considered this, and then nodded once. The king smiled faintly, and said, "Well, this is your last chance. Everyone and everything we have that can fight has already been sent, and they are marching on Jarmania. If you think you can turn the tide, you have my leave."

Link nodded, although he was dismayed. If anything was going to be summoned, having Hyrule's entire army standing in the same area would make things harder. He walked out without voicing his concerns however, but dashed up the stairs instead of out the door. First he ran to Zelda's room, and knocked several times quickly.

She opened the door and gaped at him.

"We have to go. I'll explain on the way, but I need help on Blood Fields. Where's Elisa?" Link asked in one breath.

Zelda followed him without question. He was acting different than usual, so it must have been serious. She showed him to Elisa's room, and he gave her a similarly vague and unhelpful explanation.

She was less trusting. "What do you mean? How did you even get in?"

Link sighed. "Remember when we first met? You endangered your life to help me without even knowing who I was. So please, just trust me on this." He said it a bit too quickly to actually create much of an effect, but Elisa followed him anyway.

He led them back downstairs. Link called his horse, and Zelda did the same. Link hopped on and pulled Elisa up behind him, telling her she had no time to find a horse. They rode through the market quickly, and Link grilled Zelda for information as they crossed the drawbridge.

"What have you learned about summoning spirits, or demons, or whatever it is now?" Link asked.

"I have learned nothing other than bad news. As long as the Jarmanians gather enough stones and learn the name of a demon or spirit, even a person with no magical talent could summon something." She said gravely.

Link nodded. "Where are they getting the stones?"

"I think it's another country… we might have a direction, if you know where that carriage came from." She said.

"Ok… I have a plan. This attack might draw them into summoning whatever they're going to summon. I hope it does. I need you to keep yourself safe, but show me if you see the summoning site. I'm going to finally regroup the Royal Knights; I've been away too long. We'll storm the site and try and stop them." Link explained.

"What if you are not able to prevent it?" Zelda asked.

Link thought of the temples, and carefully said, "I'll deal with that if I have to."

Before Zelda could respond, he turned to look at Elisa. "I remember you said something about your father, the king… it seems like so long ago. He drank from a fountain, and it changed him…?" Link asked tentatively.

She nodded sadly. "Yes… but why does that matter now?"

"This won't end until we cure him. I brought you because assuming everything on the field turns out all right; I need to get to your father."

She looked at him in hope, and asked "Can you really help him?"

Link nodded slowly, but his mind was turning. If he couldn't… he would have to kill him. He looked at Elisa again, and began to wonder if he should have left her and found a way in by himself.

**AN: Well, please review.**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Feels like a waste to respond to every review here, so allow me to just thank Spiritual Stone, ZombieDragon, and Simbiot2.0. You're the best!**** Everyone else, please give a little encouragement… or advice… or complaints… SOMETHING.**

Link, Zelda, and Elisa crossed the desert on camels borrowed from the Gerudos. They traveled through the mountain pass quickly, and were stunned into silence by what they saw. It was a vast sea of soldiers, Hylians, Gerudos, Gorons, even Zoras stood on this side of the field, spanning the entire width of the area. The trio stood on the raised portion of the field near the mountains, and they could make out a mass of troops on the other side.

Zelda staggered back suddenly. Link spun to catch her, but she didn't fall. Link asked her what happened.

"I checked for any magic pulses… it felt like something was grinding my head. They must have more of those stones then I thought. Link; what they're summoning might be really dangerous. Apocalyptic, maybe." She said with wide eyes.

Link used his telescope to gaze out, but the field was too big to search. He asked Zelda how many stones he was looking for.

"They would be in a cart or something similar, I know that." She replied.

Link looked around, but it was too big. He would just hope for the best. He led Elisa and Zelda into the army, looking around. The people who saw them stared, and whispers spread throughout the group. It was eerie. Link turned all the way around slowly, realizing everyone seemed to be looking at _him._

"Link! You came." Someone called.

Link turned to see Agraros heading toward him. The crowd parted for him and the knights behind him. He was followed by Kasha with her bow and thin sword, Clyde and his morning star, Kyra and her scimitar, Ordon and his glaive, Don with his crossbow, and Kojak with a sword and shield.

"Are you all that are left?" Link asked the small group before him. Agraros nodded sadly.

Link bowed his head. "I am sorry."

"Do not blame yourself; war brings casualties. We are glad to have you back." Agraros replied, although Kyra was looking at him with pure hate.

"I need your help one last time." Link told them. They waited with open expressions.

"We need to find a wagon, or cart, or several barrels, something filled with bright green stones, they look like glowing emeralds. Kill anyone near it and steal them." He said.

"That is not a problem." Agraros assured him. Before he could say anything else a loud horn blared.

"They have made the first move." Kasha remarked. Every soldier tensed and turned.

"We have to get to the front. Elisa: stay here, Zelda: I need you to come." Link ordered.

"I'm coming too!" Elisa exclaimed.

"This is a battlefield, it's very different to be in one than to plan attacks. Please don't argue; I will need your help later." Link explained, annoyed.

She nodded reluctantly. Link, Zelda, and the royal knights ran toward the front of the vast army. As far as Link could tell the Jarmanians had cavalry flanking the sides, and were advancing in groups that formed boxes with their shields. Arrows were having very little effect. He saw mages being rushed forward, protected by armoured knights with large shields. They finally reached the front line where the Jarmanians were advancing. Bursts of energy were being hurled at the shields by the mages. Several groups were forced to scatter and people were vaporized, but they advanced steadily.

The goron army began the charge. The proud, courageous tribe curled and rolled forward as one, thundering along the plains and bearing down on the main Jarmanian group. The goron army was the smallest, but definitely the toughest. Jarmanians scattered and many were mowed down. Motivated by this assault, the Hylians and Gerudos charged forward, and the Zoras made their more cautious approach. Link ran forward to avoid getting lost in the back and hoped Zelda would keep up.

He raised his shield as he hit the first wave. Zelda threw a protective barrier over herself and him and they barreled right through. The royal knights followed, parrying spears and attacking back with lightning strikes. Link felt a tingling in his head, and Zelda was grimacing in pain. He realized it was the stones; they must be close now that he could feel it.

He turned his head wildly, oblivious to the chaos around him. A few blows glanced off the barrier which was fading fast. He spun and blocked a spear thrust, slipped forward and slashed the soldier. He ducked and performed a spin attack as he rose, killing two men. A back flip got him out of the way of a sword swing, and he used a jump attack as soon as he landed. He looked down a slope, and there he saw it. A giant wagon full of bright green stones. It was surrounded by a circle of troops, and a man was reading something from an ancient book.

"There it is!" He shouted over the noise. Without another word he ran down the slope, shield forward, sword raised.

Soldiers gathered in his way. The royal knights joined him and they rushed forward, but wild sword slashes forced them back. The Jarmanians seemed determined to spend as many of their own lives as needed to protect it.

Link yelled with primal rage, shoving forward. Three men were holding him back with their shields but he shoved them to the ground. He stepped down on one of their heads with his foot to knock him out, and then stabbed the chest of another. The third got to his feet but was struck down by Kasha's arrow. He ran forward, he was so close…

He materialized in front of him just as Link broke through to the open area where it was happening. Dark Link, standing and grinning at him.

_What are you doing here? _He asked Link in his mind.

"Move, this is important." Link told him coldly.

_Is it now?_

Link stepped forward threateningly. Dark Link didn't flinch,

_You don't scare me. We both know I'm stronger… I was awakened by Ganondorf himself._

"We'll see about that." Link growled, leaping forward. His blade clashed with Dark Link's, and he spun to take another swing when he heard a thundering bellow. It was the loudest roar he had ever heard, and it drove him to his knees, clenching his ears. Dark Link did the same, and they stopped fighting to look where the stones were.

Everyone around had stopped fighting for the same reason. They stared in the space above the wagon, where the air seemed distorted. Every now and then a light pulsed briefly. People were backing away, all fighting momentarily forgotten. The man with the book looked up smugly, and continued reciting in a foreign language.

"No…" Zelda breathed from behind Link.

There was a tremendous tearing sound. It seemed as though the very earth was torn apart, and the sound seemed to be traveling into the distorted air. A large slash in reality appeared there, and it was filled with shades of purple, blue, and black. It looked like water.

A tendril sprung from it, a tendril that appeared both liquid and gaseous but had a solid shape. It was several dull colours, purples, reds, greens, all twisting and pulsing like veins. It instantly grabbed a Jarmanian soldier guarding the summoning site. As soon as it grabbed him he screamed and the yellow parts of the tendril glowed fiercely for a brief moment as the man went limp. It tossed him aside, withdrawing back a bit but not all the way into the portal.

The tendril took the vague shape of an arm with a crude three fingered hand. The fingers flexed, and it began tearing the portal bigger with fierce chops. By now both Hylian and Jarmanian soldiers were backing away, all except for the man who had summoned it. He was still uselessly shouting foreign words at the creature emerging. Dark Link had vanished already, but Link had a feeling he was lingering around somewhere.

The portal was now a huge doorway, from the ground to a point almost a hundred feet in the air. Another loud roar sounded, and Link realized it sounded like a million human voices screaming in rage or fear at once. The creature began to reveal itself, although as more of it emerged it appeared to be a simple blob of many dull colours intertwined. But it began forming a crude shape, only vaguely human. It looked around at the crowd, opened a barely defined mouth and let out another cry. Without warning, it extended its arm into the crowd, creating a small crater. A shockwave hit several people in the area, and they dropped intstantly, leaving green, smoky images of themselves in their place. They arm seemed to drink these, sucking them all in. The green parts began to glow, for a bit longer this time. The arm also seemed to take on more solidity; as if a thin skin was growing.

One person shrieked. This snapped everyone out of the awe with which they were watching it, and soldiers flooded away. The monster was about seventy feet tall, and a single step sent it into the center of the crowd. It waved an arm and more people dropped limply, leaving green images which it inhaled. The green glowed for longer, and it definitely began to grow a translucent skin. Its shape became more defined; it started to appear very human-like, but with misshapen hands and an odd looking head.

It stared at Link suddenly, seeming to single him out from the crowd. It stared down at him, and then raised one finger, pointing at Link. Link felt a slight tugging, but nothing happened. It cocked its head slightly, and then raised its foot to simply stomp him out of existence.

The sky went dark. The creature paused, looking unsure again. It definitely seemed able to think. Link was just as confused; the sky simply looked dimmed.

_As promised, we have come._

They came from the sky, a streak of red, a streak of blue, a streak of green. Their colourful trails were gold at the tip, and they came down with amazing speed. They cruised over the beast once, provoking another cry. They arced into the air, and came back down again.

_Your body is our vessel._

Without warning, they flew at Link. Each one struck him in the chest, one after the other. He gasped, and was lifted into the air a few feet. His eyes glazed over, and he fell to his knees. He felt a sudden pain in his head, a pain that faded quickly. He rose into the air again in a flash of light, and landed on his feet. As the light faded, he stood in a golden tunic and hat. His eyes were cycling from red, to blue, to green, and back to red again, slowly, almost hypnotically. His weapons lay abandoned by his side, but with a flick of his left wrist a blade flashed into existence, a blade seemingly made entirely of white light. He flexed his right fist and a shimmering shield of golden energy faded into existence there. He turned his unnatural gaze up at the monster, which appeared far more solid now.

Link felt it all happen in his head. Even as he stood with his weapons he could feel the three entities in his head, giving him control but waiting ready nevertheless. He felt the power in them, enough power to destroy his mind and take control if they wanted. But they stayed passive, and he could feel their power flowing through him to his very fingertips.

_It feeds off of rage, fear, or pain… This field is an infinite supply of energy for it. Stop it before it gets stronger._

The thought wasn't his, although it felt like it. The goddesses were a part of his mind now. He twirled his blade, crouched low, and leaped up at the monster.

**AN: I don't care what you think; just let me know! Please!**


	23. Rathruna

**AN: Sorry it took so long… this fight was unbelievably hard to write, and I don't even know why. I'm not sure how well it turned out, please review and give any tips or comments or whatever.**

Link leaped impossibly high, toward the creature's head. He felt _good, _he felt power flowing through his veins, enough power to change the very landscape if he chose. He reared his blade of light back to take a swing at the demon's head but it surprised him by smacking him out of the air with its right arm. He righted himself in midair and landed hard on his feet, skidding back quite a while. The monster roared at the sky, and tendrils of green were seemingly sucked out of the fleeing soldiers and into the creature's mouth; its skin perfectly hid the odd veins inside of it now. It was humanoid, but its head was more lizard-like, with a small snout full of sharp teeth. It had razor sharp nails on its hands and feet. It had bat-like black wings extending from its shoulder blades and down its back, which were now folded out of the way. It also had a long, whip-like tail. He knew it was called Rathruna; he assumed the goddesses must have told him in his mind.

Link took all this in quickly, once again launching himself at it with another superhuman leap. Once again it tried to hit him, but he was ready. He slashed and opened a gap in its arm, streaking through it. It roared as green, red, and yellow smoke drifted from its wound before it sealed up. Link landed on its shoulder, and stabbed his sword into its neck, again and again. More coloured smoke drifted out from each wound he made before it healed up again. He was about to stab again when the creature burst into green flames. Link roared in pain and jumped back off of the creature, plummeting to the ground. He landed loudly, crouching low to minimize the impact, which he barely felt. A small crater had appeared where he hit.

Rathramu looked at him, raised a hand, and threw a ball of green fire. Link raised his shield and the green fire was dispersed on impact, scorching the ground around him. He jumped up at it as it threw another fireball, but he cleaved it in half and streaked through it, right at the monster's chest. He held his sword straight ahead and beams of light peeled back from it, encasing him in a cocoon of protective energy. He burst through its chest and out the other side, leaving a gaping wound. He spun in midair and jumped again in midair back at the creature's head. It was ready this time; its head spun around to face backward, and it breathed a plume of green fire at him. He was blasted back to the ground, landing hard on his back. It stomped a foot down on the ground, which split under the pressure. A fissure opened up along the ground right passed where Link was getting to his feet. As soon as he was up it swallowed him, and he dropped from sight.

There was absolute silence for several seconds. It was broken by a loud explosion from behind Rathruna, and Link burst out of the ground in a shower of dirt. He swung his sword in a flurry, sending blades of energy at the demon's head. It ducked and slashed its hand at him, and a claw caught him across the chest. It left a large gash that would be fatal normally, but a golden light flashed from within once and it sealed up before he lost much blood.

Link glanced down just long enough to see this, and then dashed forward faster than the naked eye could trace. He ran through its legs and spun, stopping suddenly and making a broad, upward slash. A blue blade of energy flew from his sword, growing bigger as it traveled. Rathruna turned and caught it in the face; it staggered back and raised its hands to its face. A small amount of coloured smoke leaked out before it was healed again.

It roared at him, and used a wing assisted leap to move to the other side of the field. It waved a hand and more green smoke was sucked from people. It brought its hand down and crushed a group of fleeing soldiers; it absorbed yellow smoke through its hand as it did so.

Link launched himself over at it, but it ripped out a large chunk of the terrain and whipped it at him. It slammed him back into the ground, pinning him down. He was able to lift it up, and then tossed it up before dealing a two-legged kick from his position on his back. It flew back up at the creature, which smashed it with a small slap. Link glanced over and saw with some relief that the escaping soldiers were approaching the mountains.

Rathruna noticed this too; and it didn't like it. It slammed a fist down and created a dark shockwave, which rippled out to the tree line and mountains. It rose up and formed a giant, dark dome completely encompassing the entire field. The area was thrown into darkness as much of the sun was blotted out, and bolts of energy occasionally sparked through the dome with a crackle like lightning.

_It is giving itself all the nourishment it needs… destroy it quickly._

Link heard them again in his mind. It felt a bit creepy and intrusive; the thoughts felt sort of like his. He was thinking that he couldn't kill it because it healed before it lost much of that energy, and it could always eat more… whatever it was eating from people. The goddesses seemed to hear this.

_Be more aggressive,_ Was their only response. Link detected some feeling lining the thought… was it doubt?

No time to think. Rathruna was focused on him again; he could see rage in the swirling reddish colours that dominated its eye socket. It bared its sharp fangs, and crouched low to pounce.

Link was so focused on Rathruna that he didn't see where the attack was really coming from; the rear. A bolt of purple energy leapt from the dome and struck him in the back. He hurled forward with a yell of pain, landing on his stomach. He felt a deep numbness, and got up sluggishly. He swayed, his vision doubled, and Rathruna spun and whipped him with its tail. He flew back, slamming into the dome. His body jerked unnaturally as dark energy flowed through his body, and he fell forward off of it into a heap. Bolts of dark lightning still flared across his body every now and then. He felt weaker than ever, and very tired.

_Fight it! Fight it!_ He heard them in his mind, but he was exhausted. He watched Rathruna step toward him, but didn't care. All he wanted was to sleep…

_Hey! Get up! You're not going to lose to this son of a bitch, are you?!_

Link stood again with a start. _That _thought had come from outside.

_Up here!_

Link raised his gaze up to Rathruna's head, and his mouth fell open. Dark Link was standing confidently on its shoulder, sword raised. He gave a mock salute with the dark weapon, and then began to slash at Rathruna's neck.

_You never give up this easily when you fight me! Wake the hell up!_

Link snapped awake, giving himself a shake. Darkness threatened to overtake his vision, but he fought it off. His sword had vanished somewhere along the way, but a flick of the wrist summoned it back, the blade of pure golden light.

He jumped at Rathruna again. It was focused on trying to get Dark Link, slapping at itself repeatedly. Dark Link kept turning into a shadow and reappearing somewhere else, and the demon didn't see Link's approach. He hit it in the chest, dead center, shield raised. A small shockwave rippled out from where he hit, and it fell back. Link rebounded backward, and as he fell he slashed again and again at Rathramu, sending waves of golden light at it. As soon as he landed he sprung forward again. He swung his sword point-downward as he came down at the Rathruna's chest again. He thrust the sword down and pierced it. The sword vibrated and glowed wildly, sending waves of light out. White lightning flashed over the monster's body and the sword glowed brighter still, blocking them from outside vision. Dark Link was nowhere to be seen… Link tried not to think about him.

Eventually, it all settled. The monster had stopped roaring and an eerie quiet overtook the area. The dome darkened and solidified, and then shattered into a billion tiny fragments. The only thing that remained was that impossibly bright light, blocking the demon from view. The soldiers had to shield their eyes as the bravest of them approached. It was like a second sun.

There was an explosion. A figure flew out of the light and landed hard on his back, a figure in a golden tunic. He gasped in pain as he hit the ground, scrambling to sit up. He summoned his sword again and tried to peer into the light… it had less of an effect on his eyes.

Another shriek rang out. Rathruna rose from the light, flying on its bat wings. It hovered there, its skin almost entirely transparent now. Its multicolored veins were visible, pulsing and twisting with sickening regularity.

It stared at Link with two red glows where eyes should be. He suddenly saw a single, vivid image in his head: Hyrule burning. Rathruna shrieked at him, almost as if taunting him. With that, it took off toward Hyrule, swiping some green energy from people it flew over.

_What are you waiting for? Get it!_

Link turned and saw Dark Link staggering out of the light, hunched over, his form dissolving in places. His red eyes were dimmed like drying blood. Link nodded, and turned toward the monster's receding shape. He took a giant leap, clearing the entire field and landing in the mountains. He took another jump as he landed there, catapulting himself out over the desert and catching up to Rathruna.

He launched himself up and pierced through a wing, coming back down onto its back. Its skin had gained some solidity from the people it had fed on as it flew, but you could still see through it somewhat. He leaped forward to its head, grabbed hold, and thrust his sword down. It shrieked and bucked, but he held on. He stabbed again, and again, and again. It spiraled into a rapid roll, and Link was tossed off. He hit the sand below hard, skidding through it.

He hopped to his feet again and leaped at Rathruna again. It spun and charged at him suddenly, and he held out his shield. It slammed into the little shield dead on, sending him pushing him back through the air. They stayed locked like that as they slowed to a stop in midair. Link flipped up and gave a strong downward shove with his shield. Rathruna was pushed downward and Link found himself falling down at it from above. He raised his sword and charged energy into it, and then slashed downward before he hit. A giant blade of energy flashed across its back and slammed it down into the ground. The forced pushed Link up again, and this time he came down on top of Rathruna as it took flight again.

From his position on its neck, he glanced forward. It was traveling fast; they were over halfway across the desert already. He prepared to stab down again when the demon banked up, flying vertically. He fell back, and it smashed him with its tail as he fell. He flew sideways and slammed into the ground again. He felt his strength slip again, and realized the goddesses had felt that too.

_Can you be seriously hurt here?_ Link thought, realizing yet another danger.

_Do not fear for us. Stop it!_ They thought back as one.

He took another leap, catching up to it. He leaped up from beneath and slashed its stomach, bursting out the other side and landing on its neck. He stabbed down, leaped forward and spun around, coming down in front of its face. He slashed it as he fell, but it slowed and righted itself, grabbing him as he fell. Its hand crackled with purple lightning and it flashed through Link, causing him to scream in pain. It then tossed him straight down, but he managed to right himself and land on his feet, crouched low. It flew forward again, this time trailing green fire. Fireballs rained down on him from the trail, blowing sand everywhere. He could barely see, but was able to dodge the fire, spinning and rolling gracefully.

He leaped up and out of the cloud of sand, slashing his way through a fireball. The monster was barely a speck now, definitely over Gerudo Valley. Link jumped forward, streaking through the sky. He landed just before Gerudo Valley and jumped again, clearing it and landing at the outskirts of Hyrule Field. The monster was overhead, and was preparing to attack again when the goddesses "spoke".

_No. you must hit it head on or it will simply continue along after escaping you. Head to the highest part of Hyrule Castle… we will instruct you further._

He did as they said. Two more leaps brought him near Hyrule Town, and another landed him on the castle. He made a few careful jumps and got to the keep, the highest tower in the middle of the castle. He turned here, looking out over the town and then focusing on the approaching black speck.

_You only get one chance…We will channel whatever power we have. It will come down to the strongest… remember that while pain and fear are its nourishment, hope and courage can be yours._

He crouched low, closing his eyes and gathering his strength. He reached out with his mind, feeling the presence of all the people in the town. He drunk from each of them, feeling filled with their power. Energy flowed through his veins, adding to his power. He tensed, filling himself with every positive emotion in the town. He opened his eyes, which cycled through the three colours much quicker now. His tunic rippled and shone with power, and he glared at the approaching behemoth. Finally, when he gauged the distance right, he jumped, pushing off the end of the tower and flying straight at it. He flew at it head on, sword at his side. Rathruna saw him and continued, once again bursting into flame. The two titans flew forward, each throwing all their might into this one final clash that would decide the fate of Hyrule.


	24. Siege

**AN: ****Yeah, sorry it took so long. Last chapter sucked, so I worked extra hard on this. I personally like it, but I don't know if you will. Let me know.**

Link held his sword and shield at his side as he flew straight at Rathruna. It came at him headfirst, preparing to ram him. Link thrust his sword forward just as he drew close and the blade pierced the creature's head. A burst of light radiated from the wound and the monster let out an agonized shriek. Link and the demon were frozen in that position for a few long seconds. Then, without warning, there was an explosion of white light, and Link and Rathruna vanished.

Link opened his eyes to a whirlwind of colour. He was floating, staring at bright pinks, greens, blues, and other colours whirling around him… he couldn't tell if it was liquid, gas, or pure light… there was a dull roaring sound, but it seemed to be from inside of his head, not around him. As he floated through the swirling eddies of colour, they seemed to form faces, terrible faces yelling at him and rushing at him before vanishing again.

_You are in Rathruna's world. You have done well… we must take our leave. As our final favour to you, we will send you back to you world._

Link heard the goddesses speak these words in his head, and he was hit by a sudden, intense headache. His eyes flashed green, and a streak of green light erupted from his chest. A flash of red and blue followed, and his tunic faded back to a dirty, ragged green. His eyes, now glazed over, were back to light blue. A slash appeared in the world, and a blue sky was visible through it. Link was drawn back, his consciousness fading, and fell through the slash. It sealed up an instant later, separating the demon world from the human one.

There was a flash of light a few feet over the Blood Fields. The Jarmanians had since fled to their city, and the confused Hylians had let them retreat. The flash of light left behind the limp body of Link, who dropped gently onto the soft grass. His sword lay beside him, his hand compulsively clutching it. His breathing was slow, regular, and peaceful. He lay here, unnoticed, for three hours.

He awoke suddenly, his eyes shot open and he sat up, breathing quickly now. He looked around quickly, his eyes darting around. He saw the sun low in the sky; it would be night within a couple of hours. He stood up, sheathing his sword slowly. He looked around, and saw the Hylian army grouped on the mountain side of the field. Before them, strewn about the field, were the hundreds of people killed by Rathruna. He stared out expressionlessly, and slowly turned his gaze to the forest concealing the city of Jarmania.

There was still something he had to take care of. He had business with the king of Jarmania, but first he would need to get some help. He began to jog over the field toward the Hylian army. He passed by the many casualties without looking at them, and joined the crowd of soldiers. Tents had been erected, and Link learned that they were waiting for a messenger to come back with orders. Link quickly found the center, where the royal knights, the army's general, Zelda, and Elisa were all in a heated discussion. Link stumbled into the space where they were sitting, and all heads turned to him in shock.

"You're alive!" Zelda gasped, running over to him and clasping his hand. It was about as casual as Zelda ever got. Link smiled faintly and nodded.

Elisa hugged him briefly, and stepped back happily. Agraros shook his hand, and clapped him on the shoulder. The other knights bowed slightly to him. The general regarded him curiously.

"Why not let him decide? He's more than proven himself." The general spoke.

Link looked at him inquiringly. Zelda explained, "We are trying to decide what our next move will be. The general believes we should await orders from my father. I believe we should travel back to Hyrule immediately. Elisa and The Royal Knights want to press the attack on Jarmania."

"We don't really know who has the authority on this… the princess of Hyrule, me, or a member of the war council." The general continued. "I say we let…" he gestured at Link, who told him his name, and then finished, "Link decide."

The others agreed quickly. Link gazed toward the city again, then back at the faces looking at him. "We attack," He said bluntly.

Agraros smiled, as did Elisa. The general nodded emotionlessly. Zelda frowned.

"You heard the man. Let's get these soldiers ready; we attack two hours past nightfall." The general barked the soldiers around him. The news spread quickly, and the troops began preparations to fight.

Link pulled Elisa aside, out of earshot of the people around them. "I need you to help me," He told her.

"Of course. What do you need?" She replied quickly, smiling slightly.

"During the attack, as soon as I get an opening, I'm going to slip into the city, away from the fighting. I'm going into the castle, after your father. I need you to help me find him," Link explained.

"Will you hurt him?" She asked quietly, sorrow filling her eyes.

Link shook his head, not sure if he was lying or not.

"I'll help you, then…" She said softly, touching his cheek briefly before turning and walking off. He watched her go in confusion, put a hand to his cheek, and then shook his head quickly and walked off to rest.

Night fell. The men were almost ready; they grouped together, armed and organized. Water and food were distributed, and an hour later, the march began. The infantry walked up front, with the small section of archers behind them. The cavalry rode along at the back, along with the siege equipment. Link was near the front, and Elisa walked by him. No one spoke; they marched silently through the night. As they entered the forest they slowed down to allow the siege engines, mostly battering rams, catapults, and scaling ladders, to be properly navigated. The forest thinned out closer to the wall, and the trees were completely stripped away as the walls came into view. Several large horns rang out in the city, and archers climbed up and lined the walls, many crouched behind the parapets. Slits were carved, allowing some to shoot without leaving the safety of the stone parapets. Every arrow was drawn tight and aimed at the Hylian army.

The Hylian archers readied their arrows. The catapults were loaded and drawn back. The cavalry remained hidden from view in the trees, waiting for a breach in the wall. The infantry raised their large shields over there heads, preparing for the first volley. There was absolute silence, no one made a move.

The general broke the silence with two words, "Release arrows!"

There was a brief, deadly whisper of arrows rushing up at the archers. Several cries were heard as arrows met their mark; bodies tumbled over the parapets. The Jarmanians retaliated with their own fatal volley; Link cast Nayru's Love, and stood in front of Elisa. He started to draw his bow, but realized there was only one arrow left in his quiver, and decided to save it.

The general called something else, and there was a series of snaps followed by large whooshing noises. Giant rocks were flung over the wall from the treeline, slamming into buildings in showers of debris. Ladders were passed up front and pushed against the wall, and the infantry began to climb. A battering ram, on a wheeled platform being pushed by several men was carted forward. The ram was a pointed log with a thick metal cap strung on ropes to a roof, which also served to protect the men pushing it from deadly arrow fire. The roof was held up by seceral strong supports attached to the platform. Link watched it move forward briefly, and then told Elisa to follow him. He rushed to a ladder and jumped on, scaling it quickly. Elisa followed. He vaulted the parapet at the top, sword drawn. He slashed an archer, dashed forward and shoved a swordsman off the other edge. He spun and parried an attack, and then beheaded his attacker. Elisa clumsily wielded a sword; but she clearly had little if any training. She was quick, luckily, and doged any attacks that came her way.

Link ducked a slash and dealt a swift kick to a Jarmanian's gut, knocking him over the parapet. He dueled with another soldier briefly before knocking the weapon out of his hands and stabbing him in the gut. He staggered as the wall shook; the ram was starting to do damage. He used a spin attack, and then peered over the edge. Pieces of stone were falling from the wall as another ram was pushed up next to the first. Small explosives were set at the base, and the wall shook more violently as the base was heavily damaged. Many of the Hylians were heading back down the ladder, some fought on. It began to rain heavily.

There was a final THUD, and the wall began to lean toward the city. Pieces fell off, the parapets crumbled, sections peeled away entirely. Dust filled the air. Link clutched Elisa's hand and led her to the edge of the wall closer to Jarmania, where the wall was starting to fall. The soldiers below scattered as it came down. Link waited until it had fallen far enough that he was almost tipped off, and then jumped with all his strength, bringing Elisa with him. They landed and rolled, just clearing the area where the heavy stone came down and shattered on the ground. Link dragged Elisa to her feet and they began to run alongside what was left of the wall, away from the fight. The Jarmanians, too preoccupied with the charging Hylian cavalry, didn't try and stop them.

A few minutes later, they were away from the battle. Elisa took the lead wordlessly, guiding Link toward the castle. Link looked back toward the screaming soldiers, and then hurried to catch up. He looked sadly at the back of Elisa's head, dreading what he may have to do to her father, wondering whether she would ever forgive him if it came to that.

**AN: Please review.**


	25. Endgame

**AN: FINALLY. I rewrote this a grand total of THREE times. And when I say rewrote, I mean like, completely rewrote from beginning until end. This was the best I could come up with. I have no idea if it's any good, so you'll have to tell me.**

"Do you know a way in?" Link asked Elisa, staring at the castle.

She shook her head. Link sighed, and then gestured for her to follow him. He found the small space in the wall where the water flowed through, but they had reinforced it with stronger bars since his last intrusion. He swore quietly, and thought for a moment.

"I have two ideas; I'll leave it up to you. We could wait; I think the Jarmanians will be forced to retreat to the castle, and when the Hylians lay siege we could probably slip in." Link explained, but Elisa shook her head.

"Too risky. Right now, the castle's mostly empty. If the soldiers retreat it'll be flooded with troops inside and out, there's no way you could move around safely." Elisa replied.

"Damn. All right then; we'll have to just use the front door." Link said with a sigh.

"What? Link, you can't… there's too many; no one could fight their way through." Elisa said exasperatedly.

"I don't want to, but there's no other way. You have to trust me; I know I can do it. Do you trust me?" Link asked, staring at her solemnly.

She looked back at him. "Yes… I suppose I do. I know you don't look for battle. You're a good person."

"Th-thank you." Link said, surprised. "Come on, we have to move."

They ran along the wall until they were near the front gate, where they stopped to make a quick plan.

"All right. We need to be fast, so I'm telling you exactly what to do, all right? Don't ask any questions; just do what I ask you to. Please. I'm going to smash the gate and take out the two guards inside quickly. It's dark, and if we're lucky the soldiers in the castle won't see what's happening until we get to the main door. I'll smash it open, and then I need you to dash for the quickest route to your father. I'll follow along, and fight off any guards. We'll be taking them by surprise, so we should make it a fair distance before they react. With most of them fending off the Hylians, we shoud be able to avoid fighting much. No matter what happens, keep running and wait outside the door to your father's room. Got it?" Link explained as quickly as he could.

She nodded, although her face was visibly pale. Link couldn't blame her; it was far from foolproof. Nonetheless, he quickly drew the goron mask and places it onto his face. He felt it attach to his flesh, and his soul melded with Darmani's. He punched the air in his new goron form, and then stepped in front of the gate.

"What the?!" Exclaimed one of the guards inside. Link took a step and crashed through the iron gate, and swung a large fist at the nearest guard. It connected with his helmet, and after a sickening crunching sound he dropped to the ground. The other one turned to run, but Link curled into a ball and bowled him over before he made it more than five steps. He lumbered toward the main gate, looking back to make sure Elisa was coming. She was.

He ran full force into the center of the large, wooden door. Wood splintered, a lock shattered, and the door swung inward. Link removed his mask quickly as Elisa darted past him toward a door to the left. He followed her as people around them shouted out in surprise. A few guards began to follow them as they headed through the door and began climbing a staircase, and Link left a bomb on the middle of the flight of stairs. It exploded, blowing out portions of the wall and igniting parts of the stairs.

She led him up another flight of stairs, and Link realized they were in a tower. Link dropped more bombs as they headed up a third flight of stairs. Carpets and curtains caught fire and the wooden stairs began burning. Link no longer knew if anyone was still following him; he was now just causing as much chaos as he could simply because he had a feeling he should. On the fifth floor, they left the tower and headed into the main castle again. They ran along a hallway for a distance, and Link could see the front yard they had just ran through out the windows to his right.

Elisa stopped short in front of a door that had a suit of armour on each side of the door. "This is his room… with the city under siege, he'll be in there."

Link nodded. "You did very well. But I need you to find somewhere to hide; we've been extremely lucky so far, but even if I've blocked off that staircase, they'll be here by another route soon."

She shook her head furiously. "No, I'm going in with you!" She hissed.

"Look… I told you I would do whatever I can for him, but it would be better if you weren't there. I may have to hurt him if he's violent. I promise I won't kill him." Link said calmly, not sure if he was lying or not.

She nodded, defeated, and ran a few doors down before entering one. Link quickly opened the door to the king's room before he was found.

As soon as he entered, he saw the king of Jarmania was not alone. A man in a dark cloak was talking to him, although he had now stopped and was looking at Link. Both he and the king were seated at the table, and were apparently in deep discussion. They stopped talking the instant Link entered.

"Can I help you?" asked the king, seemingly unsurprised.

"This man is a Hylian." The cloaked man said in a low voice.

"Really? In that case, you'd best not let him leave." The king said pleasantly.

The man in the cloak extended an arm, and Link was suddenly lifted into the air, unable to move.

"Should I finish him?" The cloaked man asked.

"No; I'll do it. Just remove his weapon, if you please." The king replied.

"As you wish." The cloaked man, replied, waving his other arm. His sword and shield were both removed, and floated to the other side of the room.

"Now, you may take your leave. Wait for me in the entrance hall, where we can continue our discussion. Leave the Hylian on the floor." The king instructed the man in the cloak.

The cloaked man responded with a polite bow, and let himself out of the room. Link fell to the floor with an odd numb feeling in his limbs. It left him unable to move. He rolled slightly to see the king, who was picking up a dagger from a shelf.

He turned to look at Link, and Link got his first good look at his eyes. He knew instantly that the king was insane, just as Elisa said; pure chaos was barely veiled beneath those dark eyes. Link started to feel the numbness leaving his limbs, and quickly focused on using his magic to bring feeling back.

"I need to know a few things about the attack on my city. Now." barked the king, bending over and moving the knife point to Link's shoulder. He started to push, and Link felt a pinprick of pain. Just below his shoulder blade.

He forced his arms to move, counteracting the enchantment the cloaked man had used with his own magic power. He lashed up suddenly and viciously, hitting the king in the stomach. He staggered back, and Link leaped to his feet, turning and facing the king, who had already recovered.

Link turned his body sideways and got into a fighting stance, arms raised and eyes on the dagger. The king darted forward and slashed at Link's neck. Link grabbed the king's wrist to stop the knife, and then kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering back. He followed up by punching him in the jaw and then spinning and delivering a second kick in the chest. The king fell over, and Link jumped forward to wrench the knife from his grasp.

The king surprised him by rolling backward and to his feet with amazing agility. His lip was bleeding, but otherwise he looked fine. Link remembered Elisa mentioning that the fountain that drove him insane gave him superhuman powers.

"Filthy Hylian! Get out of here!" The king spat, lunging forward. Link stepped backward, and the blade grazed his chest, leaving a shallow cut. He then pushed the king into the table he had been sitting at, sending him sprawling over it and onto the other side. Link jumped up onto the table and then off the other side, but the king rolled to the side and got to his feet before Link could disarm him.

The king moved first again; this time he lunged forward and tried to stab Link. Link back flipped and landed at the edge of the table. One of the legs gave out and it collapsed to the side, but he jumped forward before he fell and drop kicked the king in the chest. The king stumbled back and finally dropped the knife. Link crouched and snagged it out of the air before it hit the ground, and then stood and rammed it through the king's hand and into the wall. The king let out a bellow of pain and rage. Link let go of the knife, leaving it pinning the king to the wall. He then ran to his weapons and fastened them back onto his shoulder belt.

He turned back, and to his shock the king reached over and pulled the knife out of his hand, laughing. He smeared the blood on his cheek with a deranged smile, and then charged at Link. Link easily blocked the knife with his shield, and slashed at the king's leg. The king fell onto the floor with a yell, scampering backwards toward the door with his hands. Link raised his sword and stepped toward him, realizing there was nothing he could do but put the king out of his misery.

"No! Don't!" A voice shrieked from the door. Elisa ran in and stood in front of Link, grabbing his arm and sobbing for him not to do it. He stood frozen, unable to do anything. He was about to drop his weapon when he saw the king stir ahead of him.

"Look out!" He yelled, but it was too late. He felt Elisa's body jerk, and over her shoulder he saw the king holding his knife in her back. She gasped, and the king pulled the knife back before running to the door. Elisa slid to the floor. Link started after the king, but then turned back to Elisa. who was lying on her back. He could already see the blood pooling, and knew it was a fatal wound.

He crouched by her, speaking soothingly. Her breathing was rapid, and her eyes were already beginning to lose their focus. "Link… I…" She started, but then the last of her strength failed, and she lay still. Her breathing stopped, and her eyes went blank.

Link just knelt there, shocked. Everything had happened so fast, and was just now sinking in. The king had… stabbed his own daughter. She had saved Link from the coliseum, but the one time she was in danger Link couldn't help her. He shook these thoughts from his head; blaming himself would not help. Without warning, he felt a powerful rage course through his body, and he stood suddenly and strode to the door. He kicked it open hard enough to splinter the wood. The next day his leg would be throbbing, but at the moment he felt nothing.

"Stop!" yelled one of the many guards waiting for him outside.

Link drew his sword and launched himself at the one who spoke, and killed him with a wild swing. He spun and parried a sword swing from another, then flipped over him and slashed his head. He performed a quick spin attack as he landed, and then bolted for the stairs leading down. He turned and began running backwards, bow drawn. He used his last arrow, infused it with the strongest fire he could create, and the carpet began to burn. It spread to the curtains, and then to the wooden floor beneath the carpet. With the hallway blazing behind him, he entered the tower he had come up through and headed down the stairs. His bombs had done some real damage; he had to leap over large weak sections and even places where the stairs had already given out.

He finally hit the bottom floor, and quickly left the tower and headed through the short hallway. He left that and entered the main hall, where a large group of guards was assembled and waiting for him. He saw the king of Jarmania and the cloaked man head into the hallway on the other side, presumably heading for the other tower to get back upstairs.

"Stop him! Protect the king!" yelled one of the guards.

Link was about to strike and see how his luck held when there was a loud crash, and dust fell from the ceiling above. Link glanced out the window, which offered a decent view of Jarmania from the castle's hilltop position. A large portion of the city was burning, and he saw, even through the rain and darkness of night, the Hylian army just outside the castle's wall. Chunks of rock were being fired at the castle from the catapults even as infantry poured in through the gate, heading for the castle.

The guards abandoned him at once, and ran to the large, wooden door. The bolt that was used to lock it had splintered when Link headed through, so the guards propped themselves up against it. Link knew they wouldn't hold; there were gorons out there. Link prepared to head back upstairs, but stopped when rationale thoughts once more filled his head. The castle was lost; anyone could see that. With the castle taken, the Hylians would offer the king one chance for surrender. The king would of course refuse, and then be executed. There was no escape for him, and if Link went up there after him, he would only be putting himself in danger from the catapults and more. Hesitating for only a short while, Link turned away from the stairs and back toward the front door. Almost as soon as he did so, there was a loud CRACK and the doors burst open. Gorons rolled in, running down the guards before uncurling inside the room. Hylians and Gerudos alike flooded in after, killing off the remaining guards and then rushing up the stairs.

Link waited as they ran by him, not paying any attention. With the castle overrun, the remainder of the army began searching the city for any pockets of resistance; they also created a blockade to make sure no one escaped to other parts of the country. Link headed outside, and was spotted instantly by Nabooru.

"Link! You're alive! We thought you were killed when you vanished after we took the outer wall. Zelda's been worried sick. What were you doing anyway?" She asked him.

"There was something I had to do." Link responded.

"Fine, don't tell me. Know what happened to Elisa?" Nabooru asked.

"Dead. King killed her." Link said bluntly.

"No… that bastard. I'm sorry, Link. Don't worry, we'll get him." Nabooru said angrily.

"I'm sure you will. Think you can manage without me? I should go find Zelda." Link said.

"Of course, we'll be fine. We're pretty much finished. All that's left is to tie up the loose ends."

"Thanks." Link said, turning and heading off. Just as he did, the sun appeared in the horizon. The rain had stopped, and the clear sky was beginning to lighten. It was a new day, and Hyrule's future looked bright. But the many lives sacrificed for its safety must never be forgotten. Peace comes at a cost… and that too must never be forgotten.

**The End**

**AN: Phew. Done. Wow… feels like I've been working on this forever. I have to admit, it's nice to finish; this story was starting to feel like a chore. Thank you to everyone who've reviewed, and extra thanks to the following people for regularly reviewing: ZombieDragon, Spiritual Stone, Anime Wildfire, and Simbiot 2.0. You're the best. I know it says the end, but it's possible I'll write a little epilogue to explain a few things. Let me just finish up with the usual: Please review.**


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